I wrote Comfort because I needed to find out what happened to Ann Fay after Blue ended. I suspected that war had changed her relationship with her father, and I knew that polio would have created physical and emotional adjustments for her.
As an author, however, I don’t simply decide what will happen to my characters. I have to read, interview, and listen to history in order to find my plot. In this case I was surprised to discover that my fictional character Ann Fay did not remain at home with her family but instead went to Warm Springs, Georgia, for rehabilitation. As I researched I began to feel that it was a special honor to tell the Warm Springs story.
When Franklin Roosevelt established the Georgia Warm Springs Foundation, he wanted to provide a place where “polios”—as people who had polio often call themselves—could rehabilitate physically and thrive emotionally. At Warm Springs, polios learned physical and life skills, and—perhaps even more important—they rediscovered themselves as people who were not defined by their disability. Many of them later brought their new awareness to the public arena.
Hugh Gallagher was one alumnus who did. He had been at Warm Springs in the 1950s. When he later worked for Senator Bob Bartlett in Washington, DC, he discovered that it was impossible for him to enter many government buildings without special assistance. With the support of Senator Bartlett, he wrote the Architectural Barriers Act. Its passage led to the installation of ramps, elevators, automatic doors, and other accessible features in public buildings across the nation.
In 1962, another polio, Ed Roberts, gained the right to attend college in an iron lung. His efforts to establish accessibility and fairness for people with many kinds of disabilities began at the University of California at Berkeley. From there, an independent-living movement spread across the nation, so that people with disabilities could have what they needed to live on their own, without special assistance.
Eventually, the efforts of Hugh Gallagher, Ed Roberts, and other polios brought about the passage of the ADA, the Americans with Disability Act, which condemned discrimination against people with disabilities. The ADA provided them with equal opportunities for jobs, housing, education, and public services.
At about the same time that the disability-rights movement was gaining strength, soldiers were returning from the Vietnam War. Many were showing signs of postwar trauma. Vietnam veterans and their families began to ask for help, and as a result, war trauma began to be acknowledged as a serious problem.
Today we usually label the problem Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a term that refers to various reactions people can have after any kind of traumatic experience. In the case of war trauma, soldiers’ brains are programmed to respond to threats of danger. Sometimes vets cannot turn this response off when they return home. The smallest noise or unexpected movement can trigger a violent response. Vets often sleep lightly because they expect danger at any moment. In addition, some vets feel guilty for their wartime actions or simply for being alive when so many others died. Anger is a common symptom of PTSD.
Healing from war related trauma is difficult, but veterans can get help. Counselors encourage them to tell their stories. However, reliving war is painful. After World War II, many vets chose to be silent. They believed that putting it behind them would enable them to forget their terrible experiences.
It is possible that Ann Fay’s father would struggle with memories of war for the rest of his life. Thousands did. In 2005 (sixty years after the end of World War II), more than twenty-five thousand WWII veterans were still receiving disability compensation for PTSD-related symptoms. In many cases, families paid the price of war by living with an angry or alcoholic vet.
In the wake of recent wars, thousands of families around the world are experiencing postwar trauma for the first time. Thankfully, in the United States today, military and veterans’ organizations are better equipped to help returning vets than they were in the past. There are books, websites, and trained professionals available to help veterans and their families with PTSD.
Like war, polio has lingering effects. The polios I interviewed worked hard to overcome their disabilities. They danced, participated in sports, and took on jobs that used their good muscles. As they aged, however, many began to experience unexpected physical problems, and eventually they realized that these problems were related to their polio experience. Doctors now call these ailments Post-Polio Syndrome. Polios are banding together in support groups to share ideas for lifestyle tips, medical assistance, and emotional support.
Following the example of Franklin Roosevelt, many people who had polio call themselves polios instead of victims or survivors. Typically, however, individuals do not enjoy being defined by a disease or disability. Instead, they want to be known for what they can do well. Roosevelt did this by winning the country over with his smile, booming voice, and “can do” attitude.
Today, there is a move to name the person before the disability. For example, we say “He uses a wheelchair” instead of “He is wheelchair bound,” or “She has autism” instead of “She is autistic.”
For more information about People-First Language, visit www.disabilityisnatural.com/index.htm
While writing Comfort I talked with people who had had polio and also with local citizens who remember the post-WWII era. Their experiences helped to shape Ann Fay’s story.
Ann Fay’s friend Suzanne, the girl with club feet, still lives in the village of Warm Springs, Georgia. She is a park ranger at the historic pools where Roosevelt used to swim. Suzanne has been in this community and at the Warm Springs Foundation for her entire life. She answered many questions for me. And oh, by the way, although Suzanne had a mischievous streak, she never helped anyone leave Warm Springs without permission!
The older girl named Martha who sometimes played games with Ann Fay was at Warm Springs in 1946 and even met and married Lou, a Navy man who came there for treatment. I interviewed her sister, read Martha’s letters, and handled the items she made in occupational therapy.
Ed Frogge, the man who worked at the front desk in Georgia Hall, was a real person and apparently an unforgettable character. Dr. Pat (Raper), Dr. Bennett, and Ma Harding were all real people who worked at Warm Springs.
Ann Fay’s attendant, Etta Mae Trotter, was the mother of a patient, Leon Trotter, who went to Warm Springs for multiple surgeries. She always found work at the foundation while her son was being treated. Leon is now one of my experts who reviewed the manuscript and helped me with accuracy. His practical joke using ketchup, recounted by Suzanne in one of her letters to Ann Fay, was one of many stories he shared with me. Carolyn Raville, mentioned briefly in Comfort, was at Warm Springs before Ann Fay’s time. She also answered many questions and reviewed my manuscript.
Fred Botts was one of the first polios to show up at Warm Springs after Franklin Roosevelt expressed his vision for a rehabilitation center. He served as the foundation’s registrar and stayed until his death. The story of his lost singing career and his travel by train in the baggage car are true.
Magic Hill was a real place. Several of my Warm Springs experts told me stories about it.
President Truman created the “National Employ the Handicapped Week” in October 1945. I felt that having Ann Fay work at Whitener’s Store was in keeping with a typical polio’s experience. Many were “adopted” by local business people who sponsored their stay at Warm Springs or helped them acquire a job skill. The phrase “our little polio girl” came directly from Carolyn, one of the Warm Springs alumni I interviewed.
Ruth Whitener’s store was a gathering place for farmers and other locals. Ruth’s daughter Jean told me that her mother never hired anyone other than family to work in the store. The locals I interviewed all agreed, however, that reaching out to Ann Fay would have suited her character.
Jean’s friend Beckie (Huffman) is a real person who helped me by answering many questions, sharing photographs, and reading the manuscript. Mrs. Barkley was an especially beloved teacher who taught eighth grade at Mountain View School during the 1940s.
President Roosevelt did have a beloved Scottish terrier much like Mr. Shoes. Of course, Mr. Shoes—like Ann Fay, Junior Bledsoe, Otis Hickey, and most of the characters in Comfort—was fictional!