The most dreaded Disease - Polio

      "Parents: don't allow your children to blow bubbles when chewing bubble gum. Let's do all we can to stop the spread of polio germs." I remember hearing an announcement something like this over the radio in the late 40's. I was in 3rd grade. I still remember it today.
      Folks were getting desperate to do whatever it took to stop this most dreaded disease. 
     In 1949 one of my cousins, Jerry, became very ill. Five days later he died - polio. He was 13 years old. The whole family was devastated. His parents and two brothers, Larry and Jimmy, moved to Wisconsin. I remember his mother, my aunt, saying they would never return to Waterloo, Iowa. 
      I wrote a story about my friend, Eddie, The Most Dreaded Disease. He was an outstanding boy who died of polio.
     There were many other cases that affected our family. There were many more that affected many other families. 
     Today we still hear of folks who were afflicted back in their childhood. There are folks still living in iron lungs today, from the 40's and 50's suffering from polio.
     I have my own story to tell. But luckily my story has a happy ending. Toward evening one day my neck began to feel stiff. Mother gave me an aspirin and I went to bed. In the morning my neck was so stiff I couldn't move my head. 
     I was admitted in the hospital and put immediately in isolation. That meant a private room, nurses and doctors wearing a mask when they came in my room. My food was brought on paper plates with plastic fork and spoon and cup, so they could be thrown away when I finished. No visitors were allowed except my parents. They had to wear a white coat over their clothes and a mask over their noses and mouths. It was a very scary time for my family...and for me! 
     Then a spinal tap was ordered for me. This would tell the doctor if I had polio. I remember this as a very hurtful procedure, plus I was scared. In my mind I could see a big butcher knife. I'm sure it wasn't...
     The results came back and I was no longer in isolation and was released the next day! I had a viral infection and in another few days, I was back to normal.
     I found out how scared my neighbors were when the father of my friend, Becky, told me, "go home and stay on your own sand hill!"
     Being a sensitive child I went home and stayed home for several days. I don't remember ever going to Becky's house again. 
     When my children were small the new vaccine for polio came out. I was so grateful and could hardly wait for it to be available in our town. We stood in line at Cook School, the older children were given sugar lumps with the vaccine in them and the babies received a squirt of the vaccine from an eye dropper. What a miracle! Younger folks today have no idea what it was like having the fear of polio hanging over us. 
     

Pounding in the Night

     Late one night, Jerry was sleeping, I was watching TV upstairs in the loft. Suddenly I heard pounding on the front door! My heart stopped. It came again...pounding! 
     I tried to think, who was pounding on our door? Could it be Rob? No, he wouldn't pound like that and he usually called first before coming over. Who was it and what should I do? There it was again...pounding! 
     I grabbed my house coat and putting it on, started down the stairs. I could see a light shining through our door window. As I went down farther, I could see a man shining his flashlight and holding it like a policeman does. That gave me a little courage...
     I prayed as I slowly went down the stairs. Should I open the door? Oh, help me, Lord. 
     I knew he was watching me walk toward the door so I slowly opened it a crack. He had a uniform on but it didn't seem like a policeman's. He asked me if _____ lived here. "No," I said. "I don't know who that is." He questioned me some more and then seemed satisfied that he had the wrong house.
     I went back upstairs, got Jerry up, (he had heard commotion and talking but assumed it was Rob) and we both watched the man, through the window, walking half way through our property to his car! He had parked away from our house so we wouldn't know he was coming to our door! He was seriously looking for someone!
     We now suspect it was the U.S. Army or other branch of service, looking for someone who had gone AWOL. 
     The next day Jerry went shopping at Lowe's and bought motion lights for our yard and house. If anyone comes again, after dark, the way will be well lit for him or her! No more surprise visits late at night!
     
     

Traveling Alone

       Jerry and I had driven, with our 5th wheel camper, from our home in Michigan to our son's home in Lumsden, Saskatchewan, Canada. It was so good to be with Tim, Shauna, Annie, and Kaleb! But then, I left Jerry there and flew from Regina to Vancouver, British Colombia. Friends, Ray and Nancy, met my plane and drove me, while we visited, to the bus depot, so I could take a bus down to Everett, Washington. Friends, Tillman and Gwen, met me in Everett and drove me to Stanwood, Washington, where my parents were living and were waiting for me to arrive.
       The flight to Vancouver was a normal flight. I had a long, several hour wait for my bus ride to Everett. I people watched and chatted with a few. Time passed.
       There was a man near by, who never came over to talk, but who, I noticed, glanced my way every now and then. He was a friendly looking person, who even looked somewhat familiar to me. In fact, it seemed like we were friends. He was probably close to my age. We would smile, as though acknowledging each other, but never spoke.
       When it was finally time to board my bus, the man glanced my way as he also boarded. It was after dark when we left and drove toward the border. It took time when we got to customs but we were finally on our way once again, this time in the state of Washington. 
       It was very late now and I slept until we stopped at a bus station...somewhere. Was this my stop? I didn't know where we were! I needed to talk to the driver to ask where we were...if this was my stop. But he was already off assisting other passengers. I stood up and looked around, not knowing what to do. I suddenly saw the man, my silent friend! He was looking at me and mouthed the words, "This is not your stop." 
       Oh, okay. Somehow, I believed him. I smiled and said, "Thank you."
       I sat back down and looked out the window. How did he know it wasn't my stop? We hadn't talked. He hadn't seen my ticket. 
Who was he? He looked so familiar...
       Finally we arrived at Everett. Three of us got off the bus, two men and myself. 
       The bus depot was closed!   It was now the middle of the night, like two or three A.M. This was not a friendly, well lit neighborhood. It fact, it was kind of a run down section of town. I had planned on waiting inside the well lit depot until morning when Tillman and Gwen would pick me up. Now what...I couldn't sit outside, on the curb, in the dark.
       My new, familiar, yet unknown friend, came walking over to me. "What are you going to do," he asked? "You can't stay here. It isn't safe. Is someone picking you up? I have a cousin coming to get me, then you'll be by yourself."
       Looking around I saw a well lit 7/11 convenience store about a block away. I said, "I think I'll go to that 7/11 store and wait inside until daylight, then I'll call my friends.
       He nodded his approval. His cousin arrived...not in a very good mood. But my friend insisted they wait for me to walk the block to the store and was safely inside before they left me.
       As I walked in the store, I turned and saw them begin to drive off. He was smiling and waving. I smiled and waved good-bye.
       I never saw the man again. I still wonder who he was, why he looked familiar, why he was watching me...
       Do you believe in angels? I do...


     I'm not even going to think about what might have happened if I hadn't had an angel watching over me all the way on that bus ride.
      
      
      

An Iowa Cloud Burst

       I was in 6th grade. Mother, Lorraine, Billy, and I were traveling by bus, from our home in Waterloo, Iowa to a camp in Wisconsin, where Dad was waiting for us. It was a cloudy, rainy day. Iowa is a state with rolling hills and lovely picturesque farms.
       It was raining hard...then harder. Suddenly it was like a cloud burst! Water began filling valleys, cows were soon standing in water. Fence posts disappeared, now cows were in water up to their bellies and higher. In small valleys our bus driver drove through water. We were all frightened.
       Seeing water rushing across the highway up ahead, our driver stopped, went outside, and began unloading all the luggage from the outside compartments, and putting it inside in the bus aisle! Well, atleast he was trying to protect our belongings... We started out again. Slowly.
       Water was rushing across the highway, like a river! Our driver continued on, slowly. Then suddenly we tipped to one side! People began screaming! He couldn't see the edge of the highway and had gone on the shoulder and off, sliding into the ditch. Over we went...but not all the way...! What stopped us?
       Everyone was yelling, crying, screaming... It was total mayhem...until the driver shouted and quieted everyone down...momentarily. We were told to stay as still as we could to keep the bus from tipping over completely; to stay calm; to be quiet; help would be coming. As soon as the instructions were over, the crying and yelling took over again. Everyone was terribly frightened.
       I could see Mother's lips moving. She kept us, children, close beside her. I knew she was praying.
       A woman near by, noticed Mother's quietness and calmness. She suddenly stopped crying, and demanded of her some answers... "Why are you so quiet? Who are you talking to? Why aren't you and your children crying and screaming like everyone else on this bus?"
       Mother, in her quiet way, replied, "We're scared too but I'm praying for God's protection. My children are also praying. We're trusting in God to take care of us, and He will!"
       Soon fire trucks and army trucks were seen approaching off in the distance. They stopped at the water's edge. Big logging chains were attached around a couple of firemen and they slowly made their way through the rushing water; like an angry rushing river! The bus emergency side door, had been opened. The driver and other men, took charge. "Okay, children and women first."
       One by one, we were lifted and handed to the waiting firemen, who carried us through the rushing water to the waiting army trucks.
       It was a very scary ordeal. We waited our turn; finally Lorraine and Billy were carried through to the waiting trucks. It was my turn, I looked at Mother. She was so serene, so sweet. I suddenly couldn't go! I said, "No, you take my mother first!" The men were tugging at me and I was bulking. "You take my mother first! I can't leave her here!"
       Mother told me to go but finally out of desperation, she said, "You may as well take me, then she'll come. We're wasting time here."
       So we were all rescued and taken to the previous town to a hotel for the night. We knew God had taken care of us. There was no doubt. What kept the bus from tipping over all the way? A telephone pole...! That doesn't seem possible! What kept the pole from snapping in two? We knew the answer to that question. God had protected us! He had had His Hand on us, there was no doubt.