Judith F. Brenner
My own mother’s polio diagnosis inspired this story, as well as news reports about an increase in domestic violence during the Covid-19 pandemic. I imagined what it was like for a mother to care for an ill child, knowing isolation prevented hospital visits. Growing up, I had been told bits and pieces by both my mother and grandmother about their struggles in a chaotic household, and how after several operations, my mother was able to walk again, but that first polio scare at age 4 paralyzed her from the neck down. My grandmother's Catholic faith and her reliance on a tight-knit family filled with Polish pride in Chicago helped her get through tough times. I was inspired to relate old fears with the present. Women empowering women is key.
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