Polio

In 1949, 42,000 cases of polio were reported in the United States and 2,720 people died, most of them children. Everybody knew of somebody who had died from polio or was crippled by it, and 1949 turned out to be a record year. At its peak in the 1940s and 1950s, polio would paralyze or kill 500,000 people worldwide every year.

Mary Stokes and Barbara Falvey grew up in the same neighborhood in Weymouth. Polio was a serious concern and they had a close call when their friend and neighbor was diagnosed with the disease. Hear their story:

Mary Stokes & Barbara Falvey b.1936