Post-Polio Health International (PHI)

10/09/2026

On the most recent CBS Sunday Morning, acting legend Alan Alda spoke about contracting polio as a child, family life and his current battle with Parkinson's.

In this web exclusive, "M*A*S*H" star Alan Alda talks with Dr. Jon ...

10/08/2026

These Dubuque, Iowa area polio survivors were featured in their local paper recently. The article highlights members' individual stories and highlights how they have found empathy among their fellow support group members, with regard to both their past trauma and their continuing challenges.

https://www.telegraphherald.com/news/tri-state/article_f0cff20c-15e0-4a57-ab02-58676e1b4616.html

It was 1955, and 16-year-old Dubuque resident Joan Bellmann couldn’t get out of bed.

10/06/2026

Coordinating care as we age can take considerable time and energy, especially for polio survivors managing changing needs. A recent New York Times article looks at "aging life care managers," who help older adults and their families navigate care and support services.

For survivors and family members sharing these responsibilities, it may be a helpful resource to explore.

Read the article:
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/03/well/family/geriatric-care-managers.html?unlocked_article_code=1.GlE.xY3S.9MYnQcxELQj3&smid=url-share

They can arrange a move to a senior living facility, deal with Medicare and Medicaid, recommend doctors, drive a client to the dentist, and much more.

09/29/2026

The vaccine advocacy group, Grandparents for Vaccines, is hosting "an afternoon of music, ideas, and connection" in the Cleveland area on Sunday, October 25, from 1–3 p.m.

The event will feature live chamber music by musicians of The Cleveland Orchestra. It will take place at the Raye Community Room, 20005 Farnsleigh Road, Shaker Heights, OH. Tickets start at $100, with proceeds supporting the group’s work to protect children from vaccine-preventable diseases.

Join us in Cleveland for an afternoon of music, ideas, and connection! Tickets start at $100 per attendee and all contributions support our mission to ensure America’s grandchildren have their best start in life without the threat of vaccine-preventable diseases. 1-3 p.m. on Sunday, October 25th T...

09/28/2026

Susan Mennell was born while her mother, Elizabeth, was in an iron lung recovering from polio.

In this BBC story, Susan remembers growing up with a mother with permanent paralysis caused by polio. She also explains why hearing people dismiss vaccination feels so personal: she knows what polio changed for her mother and their family.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9lykpd0n6pdo

Susan's mother, Elizabeth, was five months pregnant when she contracted polio in the 1950s.

09/25/2026

We’re Still Here! returns October 18–24, and this year we want to hear from polio survivors:

What is one thing you wish more people understood about your life today?

For some, it may be the fatigue others cannot see. For others, it may be how a brace, wheelchair, or ventilator makes everyday life possible. Whatever you would like people to know, your perspective can help shape this year’s campaign, “We’re Still Here: What We’d Like You to Know.”

Learn more about the campaign: https://post-polio.org/networking/were-still-here/

09/25/2026

The upcoming Apple film Being Heumann brings the life of polio survivor and disability rights trailblazer Judy Heumann to the screen. In this Los Angeles Times interview, writer-director Siân Heder discusses the making of the film and why she chose to focus on Heumann’s leadership during the historic 1977 Section 504 sit-in.

Being Heumann opens in select theaters November 6 and begins streaming on Apple TV November 13.

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2026-09-09/sian-heder-being-heumann-coda-judy-heumann-toronto-film-festival-tiff-2026

Five years after her Oscar-winning 'CODA,' filmmaker Siân Heder talks about 'Being Heumann,' her new movie opening Toronto, and how her life changed.

09/23/2026

PHI members are invited to join us for a special World Polio Day event featuring Karen Torghele, author of Albert Sabin: The Life of a Polio Vaccine Pioneer. We hope you will take advantage of this unique opportunity to hear directly from the author of the first definitive biography of one of the most influential and complex figures in the history of polio.

Torghele is an epidemiologist and oral historian with Global Health Chronicles. She worked for more than 25 years at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Task Force for Global Health.

Join us as we discuss Sabin’s life and legacy, the development of his vaccine, and the scientific, political, and personal forces that shaped his work. PHI members will also have an opportunity to ask questions.

Please join us on the eve of World Polio Day for what promises to be a fascinating conversation about polio history and the complicated man behind one of the twentieth century’s most consequential public health achievements.

Reserve your spot at https://tinyurl.com/Sabin10-23-26

09/22/2026

A new Newsweek article about Sen. Mitch McConnell’s recovery from a fall and illness features PHI board member Dr. Fred Maynard.

Dr. Maynard explains why polio survivors may lose strength more quickly during periods of inactivity and require much longer to regain it. PHI members may know him from his many years of service on our board, his numerous articles, and his popular “Ask Dr. Maynard” column.

https://www.newsweek.com/mitch-mcconnell-vote-childhood-polio-recovery-senate-12461927

McConnell returned to the Senate this week—but his recovery may be far from over, one expert told Newsweek.

09/08/2026

We are excited to see Apple’s first preview for Being Heumann, a new film about Judy Heumann and the disability rights movement. Starring Ruth Madeley, the film focuses on Heumann's leadership during the historic 1977 Section 504 sit-in and the collective effort that helped secure important civil rights protections for people with disabilities.

The film comes from Siân Heder, the writer and director of the Oscar-winning CODA. It will open in select theaters on November 6 and begin streaming on Apple TV on November 13.

https://youtu.be/9INUY8uKRyU?si=bMZWWj1DJs64GF1E

Judy didn't wait for change. She fought to make it happen. Being ...