Ninth International Conference on Post-Polio Health - This Strategies for Living Well Conference will be held at the Marriott Saint Louis Downtown in Saint Louis, Missouri from June 2 through June 4.  There will be over 45 practical and participatory sessions, including sessions on bracing, analyzing your sleep, planning ahead, recent research, anesthesia precautions, nutraceuticals, experiencing yoga and acupuncture.  One of our Board members, Dr. Dorothy Woods Smith, will be a presenter.  For more information, you may contact Post-Polio Health International at post-polio.org, e-mail info@post-polio.org, or call 1-314-534-0475.

 

Pine Tree Camp – This year marks the camp’s 60^th summer season.  Campers are scheduled into the sessions that are most appropriate and enjoyable for them, and some are designed for adults.  For more information or to request an application, contact the Pine Tree Society at 1-207-443-3341 or www.pinetreesociety.org.

 

PPSGM News:

 

  We have a new PPSGM President.  Long-time board member, Reginald Arsenault of Mexico assumed the position in January.  He has been part of our annual conference committee for many years, and his wife works at our silent auction table.  To contact him, check our listing of Board of Directors.

 

We’d like to hear from you – Do you want to share your story with others?  Have you tried some new gadgets that have been helpful?  Have you tried acupuncture, acupressure, aromatherapy, massage, myofascial release, or some other complimentary medical procedure; and if so, can you tell us about it?  Have you seen a new doctor and experienced good results?  Is there something more you would like to see in our newsletter?  Do you have an article you want to send us for possible inclusion in a later newsletter?  Please send your comments to PPSGM c/o 674 Hallowell Litchfield Rd, W. Gardiner, Me  04345, e-mail at abcrocker@prexar.com, or call us at 1-207-724-3784.

 

 

Denny Stubbs is one of our members from Bangor, Maine who contracted polio in September 1953.  He spent many months at the Bangor Hospital in an iron lung.  It took several months before he could breath a little on his own.  He spent a year at a Massachusetts rehab hospital to learn “frog breathing” and ease up on iron lung use.

 

For the first 37 years of his life, he lived with his parents.  A year earlier, he acquired an electric wheelchair which inspired him to learn about independent living.  Now, he lives in a supervised independent living apartment, and one of our other members, Cynthia Sudheimer lives next door.  One of his first endeavors was learning everything about taking care of a home.  He co-founded the Maine Action Coalition, which is for persons with disabilities.  Through this group’s commitment, it raised enough money to purchase a wheelchair-accessible van for all of them to use, and with enough money left over to cover maintenance costs.

 

Personal care attendants are with him for about 86 hours a week to help him.  At night, he sleeps in the iron lung.  He told me that if he fell asleep anywhere else, he wouldn’t be able to breathe adequately.  When he gets a cold, he must also stay in the iron lung, which leaves him weak, but is necessary.  He considers himself fortunate when he goes out every two weeks.  When reflecting on independent living, he stated that “it is a quality of life thing; I have the right to make my own decisions.  I can be wrong, too, but it’s part of life – making choices.”  At this point in his life, he is hoping to remain in his apartment at long as possible, as the average nursing home is not equipped to handle iron lungs.

 

When I first spoke with him, I was impressed with his pleasant voice and positive attitude.  He is very thankful for the help from his Personal Care Attendants, but I think his personality is what keeps them staying with him for years.

Denny Stubbs—A Story of Inspiration

Post Polio Health International Awards Research Grant

 

Post-Polio Health International in St. Louis, Missouri announced it has awarded a $25,000 research grant to a team from Johns Hopkins University.  The researchers propose to determine whether early use of noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) prolongs survival in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and to relate their findings to other neuromuscular diseases including polio and its late effects.

 

Post-Polio Health International’s Research Fund was established in 1995 to seek scientific information leading to eventual amelioration of the consequences of poliomyelitis and/or neuromuscular respiratory diseases.  This is the third grant to be awarded.  Complete reports on the first two research studies – 1) Ventilator Users’ Perspectives on the Important Elements of Health-Related Quality of Life, and 2) Women with Polio:  Menopause, Late Effects, Life Satisfaction and Emotional Distress are available on its website www.post-polio.org.

Coping with STRESS                                          Continued   from page one