Those who survived the childhood scourge of polio sometimes learn in old age that the disease can reach through the decades and hit them again.
So it is with Whidbey Island resident Doug Tassie, 76, who is among the 447 polio survivors estimated to be living in Island County.
Polio was once every mother’s nightmare, as the frightening disease hit children nationwide. Tassie was one of three boys in a family in West Midland, Okla., all of whom caught polio.
“We swam in a little pond with muddy water and a whole bunch of us got polio,” Tassie recalls. “It probably was the water.” Not until the polio vaccine was developed in the 1950s did fear of the disease begin to ebb.
“When they got the vaccine they thought it was all over,” Tassie said. Some victims died, others had to live in the dreaded iron lung, while others recovered to live normal or near-normal lives.
Tassie started with leg braces, then used crutches for years. But he went on to a long career with General Electric as a machine designer. He moved to Oak Harbor in 1990 when he retired.
Tassie said people who recovered from polio grew new muscles that worked like those of “normal, healthy people.” But 30 to 40 years later, many are being hit by new symptoms of what became known as Post-Polio Syndrome.
“I had a good life and career and then my arms gave out,” Tassie said, describing his first symptoms. He continues to fight the syndrome today. His arms and legs are weak and he gets around on a small scooter.
Several years ago Tassie and others started the local Post-Polio Support Group. About 50 people now belong, but Tassie knows there are many others out there who need help. It’s important to know how to combat the symptoms, he said.
For example, the first instinct of someone losing muscle control is to exercise strenuously. That’s exactly wrong, according to Tassie.
“If you overwork the muscles they can go away quicker than you think,” he said. “Don’t start heavy lifting, but keep moving — if it hurts, don’t do it.”
Symptoms of Post-Polio Syndrome include overwhelming fatigue, muscle pain and weakness, joint pain, sleep disorders, heightened sensitivity to anesthesia, cold and pain, and difficulty swallowing and breathing.
Research shows the condition is caused by failing and dying neurons that were damaged by polio and have been overworked for up to 50 years.
Because there are so many polio survivors who don’t know about Post-Polio Syndrome, a nationwide outreach effort is under way. This year has been designated Year of the Polio Survivor, and Gov. Gary Locke proclaimed September Polio Survivor Month.
According to Locke’s office, there are an estimated 37,000 polio survivors living in Washington, but only 2,600 have been identified as such. There are support groups in 17 communities, including Whidbey Island.
So people who had polio as children and are now experiencing physical difficulties can find help. The first step is to contact the Whidbey Island Polio Support Group.
