Dr. Richard Bruno is Chairperson of the International Post-Polio Task Force and Director of The Post-Polio Institute and International Centre for Post-Polio Education and Research at Englewood (NJ) Hospital and Medical Center. His new book, The Polio Paradox: Uncovering the Hidden History of Polio to Understand and Treat "Post-Polio Syndrome" and Chronic Fatigue, will be published by Warner Books in June 2002. Please e-mail questions directly to him at ppsforum@newmobility.com.

Note: This column is for information purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice.

David Bodian, "unsung hero" of polio and Post-Polio Sequelae, discovered that there are three polioviruses. He also uncovered the path the poliovirus followed--from intestines into blood and ultimately into neurons--discoveries that made a polio vaccine possible. What isn't known is that Bodian spent nearly every evening during the early 1950s on the phone with Jonas Salk, helping him develop the first polio vaccine.

Bodian's research also laid the foundation for understanding how poliovirus damage set the stage for PPS. He found that 96 percent of motor neurons were damaged by the poliovirus but that at least 60 percent had to be killed before muscles showed any weakness, and that the poliovirus damaged the brain stem whether or not it damaged the spinal cord, explaining why "brain fatigue" is the most common PPS symptom.

To honor his contributions, the International Post-Polio Task Force is presenting the David Bodian Memorial Award to recognize other unsung heroes of PPS:

Sen. Bill Bradley and David Morse
David Morse, award-winning stage and screen actor now starring in the new CBS series Hack, was a St. Elsewhere cast member in 1986 when he agreed to film a public service announcement about PPS. In 1987 he paid his own way to Washington, D.C., to unveil the PSA. Once there he found that The POMS, the 1985 guidelines for polio survivors' social security disability income (SSDI), had been shelved. David and I went to Capitol Hill to lobby for their release. Only Sen. Bill Bradley met with us in person and subsequently wrote a letter to the Social Security Commissioner asking that the POMS be released. Thanks to David Morse and Bill Bradley, on Aug. 8, 1987, the POMS were released, allowing polio survivors to be eligible for SSDI.

Rep. Steven Rothman
In spite of the POMS' release, many polio survivors have been denied SSDI because local SSA officials don't know that the POMS exist or don't follow its guidelines. In 1998 these problems were brought to New Jersey Rep. Steve Rothman, who over three years wrote to SSA officials asking that denials be reviewed, that the POMS include the latest information on PPS and that local SSA officials be trained about PPS and be required to follow POMS guidelines. In March 2001 the SSA Commissioner agreed to all of Rothman's requests, finally fulfilling the promise of the POMS.

Debra Refson
Debra Refson is chairperson of the Polio Survivors Fund, which will provide low-cost or no-cost treatment at The Post-Polio Institute for those without adequate medical insurance. Debra also conceived of The Post-Polio Letter, a one-page description of PPS to educate polio survivors and doctors throughout the world.

Mia and Thaddeus Farrow
Even though PPS was first recognized in 1875, many polio survivors and doctors still don't know that PPS exist. Polio survivors Mia Farrow and her son Thaddeus agreed to spearhead the PPS education effort by co-sponsoring The Post-Polio Letter campaign and asking UNICEF to distribute PPS information as part of its polio vaccination program. Since March 2002 The Post-Polio Letter has appeared in international magazines, post-polio newsletters, on Web sites, and has been translated into five languages and distributed to 750,000 people in 25 countries.

Hilary Hallam and Chris Salter
In 1997 Hilary Hallam created the Lincolnshire Post-Polio Network to distribute PPS information and lobby for acceptance of PPS and treatment for polio survivors in England. Chris Salter joined LPPN and created the most comprehensive repository for PPS information on the Internet. In 2001 the LPPN joined the Neurological Alliance and was able to reduce by months the wait for polio survivors to see a doctor. Thanks to Hallam and Salter, polio survivors are being educated and are receiving treatment for PPS.

Gillian Thomas
In 1988 Gillian Thomas co-founded Australia's Post-Polio Network (New South Wales). As its president, Gillian volunteers more than 40 hours a week editing the newsletter and Web site, providing information to polio survivors, media and health professionals. Gillian is also a driving force behind Polio Australasia.

Cilla Webster
Cilla Webster founded South Africa's Post-Polio Network SA. She and her husband have funded her newsletter and provided Internet and telephone outreach to Africans, primarily using their own small disability pensions. Post-Polio Network SA has been the only voice in Africa disseminating information about PPS to health professionals and polio survivors and lobbying African governments to accept PPS and to pay for treatment.

To these and all other unsung heroes of PPS, we give our thanks.