Personal Plea from Every Child By Two Co-Founder Rosalynn Carter to End Polio Now
Oct 23, 2012
In recognition of World Polio Day, October 24th, Rosalynn Carter, Former First Lady and Co-founder of Every Child By Two, provided this personal plea in support of the global effort to End Polio Now.
In the small, southwest Georgia town of Warm Springs sits the Little White House. Built in 1932 by Franklin Roosevelt, it is where he stayed while suffering the worst effects of polio. Swimming in the 88-degree, buoyant spring waters of Warm Springs was therapeutic and brought improvement, but no cure. Today, the Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation gives individuals with many types of disabilities a path to reaching personal independence.
The first time I visited Warm Springs, I was struck by the fact that polio did not recognize social status: a child in a developing country or a president of the United States was equally at risk.
Before the advent of the polio vaccine, the disease left people crippled and disabled across the U.S., and parents lived in fear that their children would fall victim to this debilitating disease.
Because of efforts to eliminate polio from the U.S., parents no longer are concerned for their children’s lives, but that does not mean that the disease is gone forever. Although we have come far in the fight to end polio, and it has become isolated to only a few countries, without a coordinated effort, the disease could rise again at any time.
Through my work with Every Child By Two, I have seen firsthand the power of vaccines. They are the best tools we have in the fight against disease, and every child vaccinated leads us closer to completely eradicating polio.
This World Polio Day, Every Child By Two is teaming up with our partners at Shot@Life and Rotary International in support of efforts to ensure that every child has a shot at a healthy life. Please join us by visiting Shot@Life and End Polio Now to learn how you can help make polio a disease of the past.
Rosalynn Carter
Former First Lady
Co-founder of Every Child By Two
Every Child By Two is a proud partner of the United Nations Foundation’s Shot@Life Campaign.
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