Bessie "Gertrude" Brooks of Vicksburg, Mississippi,
USA, just celebrated her 100th birthday. Hitting the
centenarian mark is quite a feat for anyone, but even
more so for a survivor of Polio (once called Infantile
Paralysis). Bessie, who was born March 30, 1905, got
polio when she was 3 years old. She married, and went
on to have 7 children (all by natural childbirth
according to her grand-daughter, Karen in California).
Unfortunately, her husband died when the children were
still young, so she raised them by herself. Karen's
mother and her Aunt Vi have been the primary
caretakers for this wonderful woman. Many others
visit and take good care of their Mamaw, as they
lovingly call their grandmother.
As far as anyone can discover, Bessie, is the oldest
living Polio survivor. There was a report of a Mr.
Remaley from Pennsylvania, who was born in 1904. Even
if he is still among us, Bessie would still be the
oldest woman who survived Poliomyelitis. That is
quite an accomplishment!
I'm looking forward to the next year when Bessie will
celebrate 101 years. As one doctor from South Africa
said in an email message to Bessie: "Happy Birthday,
Bessie! May you have as many more birthdays as you
desire."
Written by Jann Hartman, Baltimore, MD, USA
Polio survivor from 1953; living with PPS since about 1985
© 2005 JKH