The Case of Franklin Roosevelt

For years, the story of former US President Franklin D. Roosevelt inspired me, particularly the episode of his life when he was said to have contracted polio. For me, it was the perfect recovery story after polio.

Recent data, though, tend to show that the late US president actually suffered from Guillain-Barré syndrome, a disorder that triggers ascending paralysis of the peripheral nervous system.

Why the quick diagnosis of polio for the late president can be due to the fact that at the time of contracting the illness, polio was widespread, particularly in northeastern United States.

Still, regardless of his actual illness, there is hardly any doubt that despite his condition then, Mr. Roosevelt was able to overcome the challenge presented by his disability. He rose to become one of the greatest leaders the world has ever known.

More importantly, his experience led Mr. Roosevelt to put up the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, eventually referred to as the March of Dimes.

Initially established to help in rehabilitation efforts for paralytic polio victims, March of Dimes soon expanded its scope by supporting various works aimed at developing the needed polio vaccine. These days, the foundation keeps itself busy by helping find ways of preventing infant death, premature birth and the occurrence of birth defects.

For all his charitable works in behalf of polio-stricken people, Frankiln Roosevelt's image has been immortalized in the US dime.