One of our original co-founders, George Nilson, tells his story
When I was in my late fifties, I began experiencing muscle weakness on my right side. Recalling vaguely that around age 4 I had a mild case of what was then known as infantile paralysis, I wondered if that might be the problem. In 1986 a group of others experiencing such recurring problems as increased weakness, pain and fatigue met at my office. Bill Haney, the Director of Maines Pine Tree Society for Crippled Children and Adults was invited to hear our stories with our hope of getting administrative and fiscal assistance. Happily, these were forthcoming and deeply appreciated. (Note: We remained a part of that organization until 2000 when we became independent, but still receive a grant from the Pine Tree Society.) When I first came down with polio, my father fashioned a little brace, which enabled me to get about nicely, and I used it until it was no longer needed. From that time forward I held my own within our Swedish-American family of six siblings. We lived in a mostly first-generation neighborhood in Dedham, Ma. I learned to excel in sports. In order to survive the rigors of the Great Depression, we boys caddied at a nearby golf club and during summers we spent at a caddy camp at an exclusive club in Cape Cod. There I learned the great game of golf and acquired a set of hand-me-down golf clubs from a kind-hearted member. In a sense, it was the best of all worlds; we earned money to help our family and we met some interesting people. One of my other jobs was selling newspapers via pushcart by a car line to commuters headed for their jobs in Boston. I attribute my life-long addiction to reading the Boston Globe to that job! In high school, I flourished academically and athletically, but in my senior year, Pearl Harbor was bombed. Immediately after graduation, I enlisted at age 17 in the US Coast Guard, and qualified for USN gunnery school, serving on 83-foot patrol vessels, with the last assignment in Saipan. With the aid of the GI Bill, I went to Boston University, earned a BS in health & physical education, MA in health education and a scholarship to the Harvard School of Public Health for my Masters in Public Health. My career included work in TB control in Massachsetts, field directors for various medical studies, special assistant to Harvard School of Dental Medicine and executive director of the Maine Lung Association, retiring in 1986. Early in my diagnosis with post-polo syndrome, I sought an evaluation by a Portland physiatrist (physical medicine/rehabilitation expert). He said I could expect a yearly decrease in my functional capacities, and I have seen a gradual decrease in abilities. I have gone from being a 6-golf handicap to not being able to play at all! Fortunately, I avail myself to the medical and ancillary services of the Spinal Cord Injury Unit at the Togus VA Hospital, which I find helpful, especially with quality of life issues and prescription drugs. AARP has also provided valuable information. Im married to a wonderful woman, Clara, and have 2 sons, 4 grandchildren and 1 great-granddaughter. While retired, I continue to do voluntary public service in such organizations as AARP, Maine Coalition for Clean Elections, Common Cause, Pine Tree State Arboretum, environmental protection and public health advocacy groups, and, of course, the PPSGM. Some of the greatest rewards of continuing with this voluntary work are the friendships with so many others, and the hope of making a contribution to the community and my state. |
