Award of Excellence: THE PATIENS OF POLIO
In the years 1952-53, a violent polio epidemic rolled over Denmark - the worst ever in Europe. Around 7,000 Danes became ill – the vast majority of them children. Just under 350 of them died, and the survivors suffered irreversible paralysis in their bodies. Today, the children of the polio epidemic have grown old. Their lives have been marked by an illness that disabled them, but also made them resilient.
Lisbeth Lange, 76-years-old
"I was 1.5 years old when I got polio. The physiotherapists tried with electric current into the muscles and with hard, painful training. As a scout, I went on walks in the woods on Sundays, and I fell on the uneven paths. I sprained both my feet many times, but I didn't dare say anything. I went ahead and just bit the pain in me. Since I started high school, I have always worn pants. Then I could hide the thin leg."
