E-MAIL NEWSLETTER	May, 2004

Dear Friend, Fifty years ago, on April 26, 1954, six-year-old Randy Kerr and his classmates rolled up their sleeves and received the first trial doses of the polio vaccine, developed by Dr. Jonas Salk with support from the March of Dimes. Randy and his classmates were the first of nearly 2 million schoolchildren to participate as Polio Pioneers in a mass mobilization to test and establish the effectiveness of the vaccine. In celebration of this significant milestone, we are bringing you a special edition of the Miracles Newsletter, part of the March of Dimes year-long anniversary celebration. We invite you to be among the first to visit the newest area of our Web site, Polio Pioneers, to learn more about what the March of Dimes is doing to commemorate this unique time in history. Over the past 66 years, the March of Dimes history of success has encompassed many achievements beyond the polio vaccine, including newborn screening, folic acid, surfactant and gene therapies. Last year, we launched a new national campaign to defeat prematurity, a growing crisis for babies. We hope you enjoy this special edition of Miracles.

PERSONAL SPOTLIGHT - MEMORIES OF POLIO

	Dear March of Dimes,

			When my twin sister, Sandra, and I were 8 years old, back in 1949, polio was at its epidemic peak. In late August, my sister contracted tonsilitis and was treated for two weeks. One night when she arose to go to the bathroom, she fell to the floor and could not get up again. My mother, panic-stricken, called our family doctor, who rushed to the house in the middle of the night, only to discover in horror that Sandra had polio. He was so frightened for his own small children that he had his wife bring him new clothes, then he burned those he wore on his back. The doctor immediately sent my sister to Scottish Rite Hospital in Dallas. She was lucky, in a way, that the paralysis only affected her legs, whereas so many others at Scottish Rite could not use either arms or legs or were in iron lungs. Many others died. The nurses told my mother how Sandra used to crawl down from her hospital bed, drag herself over to the next one and help feed the other children, or comb their hair or dress them. The treatment of the day was applying hot wet towels to her muscles, massaging and stretching her legs. It was very painful for her, but after two months in the hospital, she finally was able to go home. As I was waiting in the car for my sister to leave the hospital, I'll never forget when she first came out, walking on those cumbersome crutches, with a brace on her left leg. I knew our lives would never be the same. She was always the one who learned how to do everything first - skating, riding a bike, climbing a tree to its tip-top branches. Now, all that had changed. I've often asked myself, "Why did she have polio and I didn't?" After all, we were twins, we were inseparable. The doctors tried to figure that out, too. They came out to the house, picked up our used milk bottles and tested to see if a virus could be lurking insidiously inside. There were many tests of various items around the house, but nothing was ever found. Soon after Sandra came home, I had a new job. One I felt very proud to do. That is when I accompanied my mother walking up and down the block as part of the Mothers March of Dimes, as it was known back then. Dimes were huge. At least, they were to us then. We knew the only way to help prevent this from happening to other children was to raise money for research. Our neighbors were very generous, because polio had hit so close to their own children. I suppose that is what it takes for people to become more involved in organizations like the March of Dimes. And yet it is something I don't wish on anyone. My sister and I are grateful that a child today can get up in the night, go to the bathroom and get back in their cozy little bed - thanks to the hard work of the March of Dimes. Sincerely, Sharon Were you a part of March of Dimes history? Click here to read real-life stories or share your own.

50TH ANNIVERSARY VICTORY CELEBRATION

FRANKLIN SHERMAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - APRIL 26, 2004. "This is what we as Americans can accomplish when we band together," said Dr. Jennifer L. Howse, president, March of Dimes, in remarks made at the Franklin Sherman Elementary School in McLean, Va., the first site where the inoculations were offered in 1954. Some 1.8 million children known as Polio Pioneers, in grades one, two and three, in 44 states from Maine to California, eventually took part in the three-inoculation sequence over the next year; some 4,000 children alone at Franklin Sherman participated in the trials.

NEWS FROM THE MARCH OF DIMES

Aftereffects of Polio Can Harm Survivors 40 Years Later Few Doctors Recognize Little-known Condition WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- Up to 20 million polio survivors around the world face the threat of new disabilities 15 to 40 years after their original illness, which could leave them using wheelchairs or ventilators for the rest of their lives, says a new report from the March of Dimes.

ARCHIVAL PHOTO OF THE MONTH

To commemorate the anniversary, Miracles is going to bring you different vintage photographs from the March of Dimes archives taken during the polio vaccine rollout 50 years ago. « Louis Armstrong helped support the March of Dimes. You can purchase this photo and others like it.

Best, Editor Miracles Online March of Dimes

Visit marchofdimes.com to read more or view the Miracles Archive. Subscribe to Miracles online. Share your comments, suggestions and feedback on this newsletter by e-mailing newsletter@marchofdimes.com This online newsletter is sponsored by the March of Dimes, a nonprofit organization. The mission of the March of Dimes is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects and infant mortality. This newsletter is for information purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. © March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation, 2004