The Villages Daily Sun

THE VILLAGES — It is a fine summer day; warm with plenty of sunshine. But something is not quite right. Playgrounds are empty. Swimming pools filled with cool, inviting water are deserted. Instead of shooing their children out to play, mothers keep them indoors. No one is lining up to go to the movies, Little League games, birthday parties, church outings, or any other large gatherings. People shun contact with each other.

This isn’t a scene from the “Twilight Zone,” or a low-budget horror movie. Starting with an epidemic in 1916, polio became the scourge of summer in the United States, leaving a trail of death, withered limbs and iron lungs.

In 1952, polio sickened 58,000 people, mostly children and young adults. It wasn’t until April 12, 1955, with the announcement of the Salk vaccine and the introduction of the oral Sabin vaccine, that polio was conquered in this country.

Don Suttle turned 15 in 1952, and he was a high school freshman in Danville, Ill. He enjoyed being active. Even better, he had just met a young lady named JoAn, and life seemed to be going pretty well.

“I got polio on my 15th birthday,” Suttle said. “I spent three months in the hospital.”

Suttle was one of the lucky ones. With time, he was able to discard his crutches and braces. Playing organized sports was out, and the draft board wouldn’t take him, but he was able to lead a normal life. He worked as a weigh master for a grain elevator and he married JoAn.

“I had pretty well gotten over it,” Suttle said from his Village of Alhambra home. “I was doing normal work, was very active. I walked all up and down the Statue of Liberty. Then, 31 years later, I fell down the stairs. My leg had just given out. After that, there was a gradual loss of strength. It was almost as if the polio was back.”

Doctors did all sorts of tests, and the couple was told Don’s problem could be multiple sclerosis, Lou Gehrig’s disease, and even that it was all in Don’s head. It wasn’t until later that they heard about post polio syndrome.

“I heard about it; it matched everything I had. I practically diagnosed myself,” Suttle said.

Dr. Mohammad A. Choudhry, a neurologist at The Villages Regional Hospital, explained post polio syndrome: “The disease is muscle weakness and fatigue. The nerves, the motor neurons, are dying in areas initially affected by polio.”

Choudhry added that while the precise cause of the disease isn’t known, it is thought that the nerves which took over for the ones killed during the polio infection start to show the effects of doing extra work.

“There is no cure,” Choudhry said. “We give symptomatic treatment — physical therapy, braces, medicines to help with the fatigue. It requires moderation, tolerance, and care to prevent falls and further injury.”

Suttle now has a pair of carbon-fiber and titanium braces on his lower legs, and walks with a cane. He and JoAn are determined to fight back.

“We founded the Power Over Polio support group in 2000,” JoAn said. “We had seen some support groups and found out how much help it was to talk to someone having the same problem.”

JoAn serves as the 80-member group’s coordinator.

“We try to inform people about the disease, and have doctors and other people in to get more information,” Don said.

The group also has raised money for the Lady Lake Rotary Club, since one of Rotary International’s main projects is the eradication of polio worldwide.

“If we aren’t careful, this disease could come back,” Don said.

Power Over Polio also recognizes that caregivers have their own needs.

“The other thing we do is try to support the caregivers,” JoAn said. “It’s like they have the disease, too, but they are healthy and want to be active. The life you planned for is over. Caregivers need patience and compassion. It helps to have good information about what’s going on.”

“We get by the best we can,” Suttle said. “I’m just glad to know that we’re helping someone.”

Donna Riley-Lein is a reporter for the Daily Sun. She can be reached at 753-1119, ext. 9255, or donna.riley-lein@thevillagesmedia.com.