0:00:09 > 0:00:11Having polio at the age of 20
0:00:11 > 0:00:15put the rest of my life into perspective.
0:00:17 > 0:00:21When my parents came to know that I had polio,
0:00:21 > 0:00:23they were really devastated.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27It was a very sad thing,
0:00:27 > 0:00:31that a healthy six-year-old should suddenly find himself unable to walk
0:00:31 > 0:00:35properly without the aid of callipers.
0:00:35 > 0:00:36That is a very sad thing.
0:00:38 > 0:00:43In the early 1900s, a terrifying disease swept around the world.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45It struck fear into the hearts of parents.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48No-one knew for certain how it was caught.
0:00:48 > 0:00:51But what people did know was that once you got it,
0:00:51 > 0:00:53it would be with you for life.
0:00:53 > 0:00:58They called it infantile paralysis - what we now know as polio.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03It really was a devastating illness.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07My own mum's family was almost wiped out from the disease
0:01:07 > 0:01:08back in the 1950s.
0:01:08 > 0:01:12Thankfully, today, it's almost been eradicated from the planet.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15But it still hasn't quite been consigned to history.
0:01:15 > 0:01:17In Britain alone there are 120,000 people
0:01:17 > 0:01:20living with the lifelong effects
0:01:20 > 0:01:23of the illness, and the British Polio Fellowship,
0:01:23 > 0:01:25nearly 80 years after it was founded,
0:01:25 > 0:01:29is still helping those living with the consequences of this disease.
0:01:32 > 0:01:37I'd always wanted to work with tiny babies and I was responsible for
0:01:37 > 0:01:38the baby nursery.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42Barbara is 86.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45When she was 20, she contracted polio while working as a nurse at
0:01:45 > 0:01:47a children's hospital in Birmingham.
0:01:48 > 0:01:50I went home quite normally,
0:01:50 > 0:01:53woke up the next morning with a completely rigid neck.
0:01:53 > 0:01:54I couldn't move it.
0:01:55 > 0:01:59And I said to my mum, "It's no good me going to work,
0:01:59 > 0:02:00"I can't feed the babies."
0:02:02 > 0:02:05So she said, "Well, you've got to see the doctor."
0:02:05 > 0:02:08So the doctor came in and he told me I'd got rheumatism.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11I knew what I'd got.
0:02:11 > 0:02:13I knew all the symptoms.
0:02:14 > 0:02:18I spent the next seven months in hospital, flat on my back.
0:02:18 > 0:02:20This was a difficult time.
0:02:21 > 0:02:25It dawned on me that I might not walk again.
0:02:26 > 0:02:30It did mean I had to rethink what I was going to do with the rest of
0:02:30 > 0:02:31my life.
0:02:32 > 0:02:36In spite of the devastating blow of her diagnosis,
0:02:36 > 0:02:39Barbara remained positive and wanted to live a full and happy life.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43She trained as a speech therapist, went on to meet her husband, Derek,
0:02:43 > 0:02:45and later had two children.
0:02:46 > 0:02:51When you have some sort of physical problem,
0:02:51 > 0:02:54you kind of don't think that you will ever get married
0:02:54 > 0:02:55or have children.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59But I don't think I ever gave up.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03And I wasn't going to let the polio virus beat me.
0:03:05 > 0:03:09I didn't have any problems after I'd recovered
0:03:09 > 0:03:14and got used to my physical limitations until I was 48,
0:03:14 > 0:03:18when my shoulder locked and I couldn't move it.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23So I was really in a mess.
0:03:23 > 0:03:27It was believed Barbara had developed post-polio syndrome,
0:03:27 > 0:03:30which is thought to affect 80% of survivors years after recovery,
0:03:30 > 0:03:33causing severe fatigue and muscle weakness.
0:03:35 > 0:03:42I knew what I'd got was reducing my mobility and was affecting my arms.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44Polio is the shadow that is there
0:03:44 > 0:03:47and then you realise it's done its dirty work.
0:03:47 > 0:03:54The virus is still having aftereffects on all those people who
0:03:54 > 0:03:56had it when they were very young.
0:03:56 > 0:04:01I am lucky, because my GP is very interested.
0:04:01 > 0:04:08He wants to ensure that the future GPs are aware of the syndrome.
0:04:09 > 0:04:10For survivors of polio,
0:04:10 > 0:04:15the onset of PPS in their later years can be very hard to deal with,
0:04:15 > 0:04:16which is why people like Barbara,
0:04:16 > 0:04:20working alongside the British Polio Fellowship,
0:04:20 > 0:04:22are doing what they can to boost awareness.
0:04:22 > 0:04:27But there is a common misconception - because polio is now preventable
0:04:27 > 0:04:30it's an illness that only the elderly have to deal with.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34Manaj is in his early 40s.
0:04:34 > 0:04:36He contracted polio aged two
0:04:36 > 0:04:40while living abroad, and although he faced the inevitable challenges
0:04:40 > 0:04:42of the disease, his parents were forced to face
0:04:42 > 0:04:44a challenge of their own.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49My parents faced a lot of discrimination.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52I think they really worried about
0:04:52 > 0:04:55how I'm going to live my life and how
0:04:55 > 0:04:58I'm going to be independent in this world.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01My dad used to say, education is what you need to focus on,
0:05:01 > 0:05:03that will make your life better.
0:05:03 > 0:05:09I can now think about how much suffering he went through
0:05:09 > 0:05:12when he was with my disability.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15I came to UK in 2001.
0:05:15 > 0:05:20I was struggling to meet people and get a network of friends.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23Then I came across the British Polio Fellowship.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26They connected me to the local group, friendly environment,
0:05:26 > 0:05:29where I could talk to them with confidence.
0:05:29 > 0:05:33They started to help me out and give me guidance,
0:05:33 > 0:05:37and they have got some interesting projects, like sport.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40Meeting other people has given me a lot of confidence to start my life
0:05:40 > 0:05:41over here.
0:05:43 > 0:05:47The British Polio Fellowship offer practical support, benefits advice.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49We offer welfare grants,
0:05:49 > 0:05:53we offer information on how to get a diagnosis of post-polio syndrome.
0:05:53 > 0:05:54PHONE RINGS
0:05:55 > 0:05:58Good afternoon, you're through to the British Polio Fellowship.
0:05:58 > 0:06:00How can I help?
0:06:00 > 0:06:02We also want to become much more proactive in the future
0:06:02 > 0:06:07with being able to go out and help people within the community.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09Our members can often feel like they're forgotten
0:06:09 > 0:06:13and that there is little known about the condition any more.
0:06:13 > 0:06:15We are here to support them with what they face in life.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22As well as their support services, the charity hosts annual games,
0:06:22 > 0:06:25where members from local groups around the UK come together,
0:06:25 > 0:06:27not only to compete,
0:06:27 > 0:06:30but to socialise with people who share in their experiences.
0:06:31 > 0:06:33Bobby is one such person.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36He's been a member of the Fellowship for most of his life,
0:06:36 > 0:06:38after contracting polio aged six.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42The effects of polio are quite dramatic in one way,
0:06:42 > 0:06:45in that it slowed me down to a considerable degree.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48You have difficulty staying on your feet.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50I kept thinking, "I'm going to get better."
0:06:50 > 0:06:53It didn't really happen that way.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56Polio is an illness that can isolate you, in a way.
0:06:57 > 0:07:02Being part of the BPF means that you meet up with others in a similar
0:07:02 > 0:07:04situation to yourself,
0:07:04 > 0:07:05lets you see you're not alone.
0:07:06 > 0:07:11Having these regular meet-ups so often means that people are able to
0:07:11 > 0:07:13socialise with those in a more or less similar condition
0:07:13 > 0:07:15to what they're in.
0:07:17 > 0:07:23It lets them have conversations and music and enjoyment of others,
0:07:23 > 0:07:26that maybe sitting in the house watching TV you wouldn't get.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29I welcome everyone for coming along tonight, good to see you all.
0:07:29 > 0:07:33Enjoy the rest of the night. No fighting, please, over the game.
0:07:34 > 0:07:38I really enjoy meeting up with the Polio Fellowship globally.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42The camaraderie is great, the craic is excellent.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45They are very important in my life.
0:07:45 > 0:07:47Like Barbara, Manaj and Bobby,
0:07:47 > 0:07:50whose lives were tragically changed by the disease,
0:07:50 > 0:07:55polio continues to affect the lives of thousands of others in the UK.
0:07:55 > 0:08:00The charity is invaluable in a world where people think polio is a thing
0:08:00 > 0:08:01of the past.
0:08:01 > 0:08:05British Polio Fellowship connected me to people who have been
0:08:05 > 0:08:07through what I've been through.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09They provide me with invaluable information.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13With your help, the British Polio Fellowship
0:08:13 > 0:08:17can continue to bring people together, to offer support,
0:08:17 > 0:08:21and ultimately to make them feel that they are not alone.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23Please, if you can, donate now.
0:08:26 > 0:08:27To give by phone, call...
0:08:29 > 0:08:32Calls are free from mobiles and landlines.
0:08:36 > 0:08:41Texts cost £10, plus your standard network message charge,
0:08:41 > 0:08:44and the whole £10 goes to the British Polio Fellowship.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47For full terms and conditions, or to make a donation online,
0:08:47 > 0:08:49visit the Lifeline website.
0:08:53 > 0:08:54Or if you'd like to post a donation,
0:08:54 > 0:08:58please make your cheque payable to the British Polio Fellowship
0:08:58 > 0:09:01and send it to Freepost, BBC Lifeline Appeal -
0:09:01 > 0:09:03writing "the British Polio Fellowship"
0:09:03 > 0:09:05on the back of the envelope.
0:09:06 > 0:09:07Thank you.