Polio Outreach of Spokane Members

Hi!

We are some of the members of Polio Outreach of Spokane. We'd love to meet you! Would you like to drop us some mail?

Elizabeth (Liz) Behrendt reports, "I had polio at the age of 4 or 5 in Germany and apparently made a complete recovery. In 1939 my family was forced to leave Germany (my father was Jewish). Lived 1 1/2 years in England, came to the US in 1940. Attended high school and college in New York City. Got married, and many years later unmarried. Lived in upstate New York, Massachusetts, Michigan, California, Oregon, Colorado, and Alaska before moving to Spokane in 1992.
Muscle weakness first noticed in early 1960s - it has been progressive, but gradual. Worked 23 years for U.S. Geological Survey.
I have 3 wonderful children (I'm not prejudiced!), daughter Michelle in Byers, CO, son Ron in Whitefish, MT, and daughter-in-law Mary teaches at Columbia Falls High School; 3 grandkids, all adopted by my daughter.
I like to travel, read, walk, eat, and take pictures. Will be a year older soon - May 30." Liz is our resident disabled-travel expert. She knows the most interesting places to go and how to get there with a disability. Last year Liz was a full-color front-page newspaper feature - a disabled grandma water-skiing for the first time with a special sit-down and strap-you-on ski. Adventure is in her blood!

Sunny Bond

Sharman Collins. Sharman is 49. She contracted polio at age four in 1952. She and her husband of 27 years, Ken, have four sons; two married, one in college and one in high school. All of her men are a challenge to keep up with! Sharman's post-polio began in early 1991 with a very rapid decline. She started the support group, Polio Outreach of Spokane that year. Before PPS, Sharman loved to sew, knit, do gourmet cooking, ski and ride racing bikes. At the worst of her PPS, she could do none of those. However, thanks to treatments at Futures Unlimited, Inc., Sharman is now walking, sewing, knitting and cooking again. Though skiing and biking are not on the "recovery list," she'll take what is! Sharman is a writer for the P.E.N. & ink newsletter.

Patricia Diaz "I'm currently 52, March 12, 1945, got polio in Santa Barbara, CA in 1949 at age 4. Completely a passer until last year. Don't remember much about the polio onslaught except dark, PAIN, and heat.
Am married to Tom Brimmer, have three children (ages 29, 22, 17), am a professor at WSU in Hotel and Restaurant Administration. Hobbies include reading and quilting (had to let all the sports stuff go. . . ).
Now ride ascooter most of the time; am in much pain if I don't. Getting an elevator for the house soon so we don't have to move."

David Graham. In Dave's own words: "I was born 10/26/43 in Portland,Oregon, the oldest of six kids. I had spinal polio at the age of 10 months. I had a younger brother who had bulbar polio about eight years later. I had numerous surgeries as a child and young teen, primarily at Emanual Hospital in Portland.
I spent 28 years in the music business, both as a performer and in retail sales. In 1975 I moved my family to Liberty Lake, Washington, just outside of Spokane. I have been married for almost 30 years to Susan who is my strength and companion. We have two sons and one daughter, all adults (and three granddaughters).
At 48 years old post-polio syndrome forced my retirement. Now I am active as a grampa, the editor of P.E.N. & ink, on the Board of Directors at the Union Gospel Mission, and am a writer, singer and player of music and a child of the Lord."

Doug Hockin

Roseanne Lasater. I was born in '49 and had polio in NYC in 1954 at age 5. I was initially in isolation for 15 days at King County Hospital, but spent most of my nine hospital months at St. Charles Hospital in Brooklyn. At St. Charles, I started recovering, first in a wheelchair then on crutches. As far as I can remember, my treatment and care was humane and effective, unlike some of the other polio victims around the country. I am still grateful to March of Dimes for paying most of what must have been a huge hospital bill. Had therapy into my 20's and then about 10 years during which I imagined I had fully recovered. When I got pregnant in 1980, I was reminded that polio is forever: spent most of the pregnancy on disability. A few years after my daughter was born, the "S curve" in my lower back finally collapsed into three ruptured disks; they were surgically fused in 1986. Since then, I have suffered from chronic neck and back pain, along with quite amazing headaches. For several years, I was misdiagnosed with all sorts of ailments. Then I found POS and a doctor who knows about PPS. It helps just to have a correct diagnosis! Right now, I am struggling with new muscle atrophy and related discomforts, like painful twitching muscles, loss of stamina for daily living, and extreme fatigue. I use back, wrist and leg supports when I need them, but I'm still trying to learn the whole pacing thing, which is more difficult than I expected. I've changed the way I live, and I expect I will need to make many adjustments as time goes on. However, I hope and believe I can find my way. I feel so fortunate to have a Post Polio program and an active support group right here in Spokane. I have always been lucky that way. My home page is at http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Workshop/4135/index.html

Alex Looms. Alex is 49 years old and lives with his wife, Ann, in the fir forest of north Idaho near Hayden Lake. About 2 years ago PPS forced Alex to retire from his job as a car salesman. Now he enjoys conversing with his Norwegian Fjord horses (got to watch the birth of two fillies this Spring), takes his scooter through the woods, supervises the kids removing feet of SNOW in Winter, and helps Ann make the designer Teddy bears she is famous for in "bear circles." Sometimes Alex even gets to go with Ann to a Bear Show. Fun! Alex's active mind is working on building The Super Scooter - one that will go cross-country xx mph through the under-growth in the woods. You can guess - Alex is an active member of Spokane Psycho Scooter Gang. [From Webmaster: We'll keep you guessing on that one!]

Peg Lustig

John Reese

Sylvia Smith says, "Born August 1, 1937, Sylvia Claire Smith, in Norwalk, CT. Original Polio at age 12. Totally paralyzed and in Newington Home & Hospital for Crippled Children for a year and a half.
Lived what was "assumed" a normal, married life, name of Peake, raised a family, girl and boy. Divorced. Remarried, name of Urice. Divorced.
Onset of PPS most likely in 1991 though ignored till symptoms disabled in 1994.
Have been a creative entrepreneur, a freelance writer and the author of two children's picture books; OTR trucker; LA taxi driver; weight loss consultant; radio DJ; owned and operated a mini-donut concession trailer; sold pots and pans at fairs and shows throughout CA, OR, AZ. The gypsy in me just wants to keep coming out!!! There are a dozen more: BJ dealer in Las Vegas; pre-need burial sales for a LV mortuary; memberships in the Las Vegas Stratosphere Tower Club. Could go on but it gets embarrasing. Been there, done that is my rallying cry!?!"

Elinor Young. "I had Polio at age 5 in 1952. I was initialially in St. Luke's Hospital, Spokane for 7 months, then spent two years in out-patient therapy. I had several stays in Shriner's Hospital, Spokane from age 9 to 14.
17 years of my life were spent in Irian Jaya, Indonesia, as a missionary to a remote interior mountain tribe. I was "officially" a linguist, learning and analyzing the Kimyal language and translating the Bible, but of necessity did everything from stitching wounds, treating burns and tube-feeding babies to air-traffic controlling for our grass-and-gravel strip and being economic consultant for a people transitioning from barter to currency. A major PPS "crash" forced me back to the States in August '91. I was immediately diagnosed and continued to deteriorate so rapidly that return to Irian Jaya was impossible. Thanks to treatment at Futures Unlimited, Inc., I am much better now, but still need the conveniences and medical help available in the States. I am now involved with Polio Outreach of Spokane, am webmaster for Polio Experience Network and for Union Gospel Mission writer for P.E.N. & ink and for pleasure, am a speaker, write and teach Bible studies and enjoy family and friends."

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Polio Outreach of Spokane (POS).... P.E.N. & ink newsletter
Mail-out library.......... ? What is post-polio syndrome?
Events and Announcements ......... Spiritually Speaking
Polio Vaccine ............ Futures Unlimited, Inc.

Links: Polio People and Places on the Internet