KOSCIUSKO —  The monthly Post-Polio Support Group has been enlightening, encouraging and informative for the dozen or so who attend. Some months there are presentations from area service providers. Other months the group learns from the others’ experiences and personal research.

The August meeting will convene from 10:30 a.m. to noon, Friday, Aug.10, in the classroom of the KCH Administration Building. At that time, Dr. Kevin Mcgeehan, a local neurologist, will speak about the complications of PPS and other diseases or neurological conditions. Anyone who has had polio is welcome to attend. 

The regular monthly Post-Polio Support Group gatherings are from 10:30 – noon, on the third Friday of each month, in the Fellowship Cafe’, at the Grace Village Retirement Community. Use the Wooster Road/Main entrance. The cafe’ is to the right of the receptionist’s desk. For more information, email Gladys Deloe at [email protected] or call (574) 372-6317.

Polio is no longer a threat in the US. But the after effects, now called Post-Polio Sequalae or Syndrome,  are a difficult reality for most polio survivors. Many who had polio, especially those who were not paralyzed, don’t realize that the symptoms they’re experiencing now are related to having had polio years ago. PPS refers to a cluster of disabling signs and symptoms that appear decades after the initial illness. Common signs include progressive muscle and joint weakness, difficulty walking, breathing, and/or swallowing and an overwhelming fatigue.