Dr. Michael Alexander triumphed over polio to become Chief of Rehabilitation Medicine at the hospital where he was treated.
Dr. Michael Alexander contracted polio in 1951, 4 years before the vaccine was discovered. To commemorate World Polio Day, Dr. Alexander joined us to talk about the crippling disease. He gave a fascinating talk about the way polio attacks the muscles affecting a person's strength, ability to walk and run, breathing, ability to sit, ability to talk and swallow. Dr. Alexander underwent numerous surgeries and decades of extensive rehabilitation, including six surgeries at the Alfred I duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, DE, before he graduated from high school. With the help of his family, physicians and friends, coupled with untiring drive and determination, he returned to the very same hospital 21 years later as the Chief of Rehabilitation Medicine. At duPont Hospital from 1986 until retirement in 2012, he served thousands of patients and families while conducting research, teaching, lecturing and publishing. He served as a consultant for numerous programs including The Children’s Center in Bethany.
The Lima Rotary Club is currently accepting donations for PolioPlus. Donation cards are on the tables at our Monday meetings, or you can contact Rita and ask her to add your donation to your quarterly invoice.
Also at Monday's meeting, we donated $716.50 to Family Promise; this is the proceeds from this quarter's Rottery drawings.
