FDR's Life with Polio
Long considered one of our nation's most iconic presidents, Franklin Roosevelt tried to hide what he viewed as a sign of weakness for a majority of his adult life. As a result, most of the public was unaware that he was the first known president that served with a significant disability. However, one could say that the disability strengthened Roosevelt's perseverance and helped him throughout his political career.
Roosevelt had contracted polio, a paralytic disease, in 1921 while he was vacationing and ended up being paralyzed from the waist down. Soon after, he focused on rehabilitating himself and found that swimming was an effective way for him to exercise himself and regain strength. Roosevelt had metal braces locked around his legs that allowed to stand and walk to a certain extent with a crutch. Though at the time there was no treatment for the disease, he found some success in his management of it. The most iconic place for rehabilitation that Roosevelt spent time at was in Warm Spring, Georgia, where he found the natural minerals in the water most helped with his condition. In 1927, he even established the Warm Springs Foundation with his own money for other polio patients.
At the time, disability was frowned upon. Because of this, Roosevelt was very hesitant of looking weak to the public because of his paralysis. He had a specialized wheelchair he used in private. He devised a method of walking with a cane and the help of another person. In public, he dissuaded the press of photographing him walking, entering, or leaving the car. The Secret Service were even told to make sure no one would try and do this. He made it his goal of looking to play the part of the "strong president." Despite his reluctance of showing his illness, Roosevelt still advocated for the cause. He founded the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, now called the March of Dimes Foundation, in 1938. The foundation's goal was to fund research for a polio vaccine and also help those affected with the disease in their rehabilitation. It was first funded by proceeds of the famous annual President's Birthday Balls. When funds started to become scarce, the "donation of dimes" message that the foundation is famous for today was proposed. Though he died before his foundation, with the research of Dr. Jonas Salk, developed the polio vaccine, Roosevelt's heavy influence for the work towards a cure cannot be argued.
Sources:
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/franklin-roosevelt-founds-march-of-dimes
https://fdrlibrary.org/polio
http://amhistory.si.edu/polio/howpolio/fdr.htm
Interesting. As you said, "disability strengthened Roosevelt's perseverance and helped him throughout his political career." But, with something as extreme as polio, that had to have presented some disadvantages for Roosevelt's political career, and as you also said, he had to hide the fact that he had polio. But, wouldn't the American citizens, and foreign countries, have figured out something was up with him? Did or would any of the foreign countries, especially during this dire time, or any of FDR's opposition take advantage of his disadvantage?
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