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An Ice Box for Mary

A Small Community's Love for a Young Woman with Polio

By Karla Bowen HermanPublished 3 years ago Updated 3 years ago 9 min read
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The community resolved to get an ice box for Mary, to store ice from her beloved pond.

During the darkest of times, a bright light will sometimes swell out of hearts in response... It's called: "Love in Action". Our recent pandemic caused me to reflect on the account of another pandemic; and how it affected—not only its victim, but her entire community. This is their story:

Mary was the youngest of five boys and three girls (including her). But, Mary didn’t get to enjoy being the baby of the family. Many decades ago, there was an alarming epidemic sweeping the nation. It was especially horrifying, because it targeted children—paralyzing them! Can you imagine a worse nightmare than “Paralytic Poliomyelitis”, commonly called: "Polio"? There is nothing so frightening as when the most precious among us—our little ones—are under attack.

The reason Polio was especially horrifying, was because it attacked children—paralyzing them!

Her parents worried because she was extremely contagious to their other children! Like so many others during that awful time, baby Mary had to be isolated away from her siblings. (A vaccine hadn't yet been invented, for prevention). So, Mary never got to play or interact in the same room with her brothers and sisters, when she was small... She spent her younger years lying in a window; watching THEM play, outside. The Health Department posted a sign next to her window, warning the public to STAY AWAY. Isolation... that lonely despair, was a difficult side-effect.

Mary spent her paralyzed toddler years lying in a window; watching her siblings play outside.

What captivated her the most, was their family pond, in the distance. During warm months, she’d watch her siblings swim—holding her breath when they jumped off the dock their father had made; smiling when their heads reappeared, above the water. When they went fishing, she rooted for them to catch a fish. When they returned, her brothers and sisters would always stop in front of her window and hold up their catch, to coax a smile out of their paralyzed baby sister. Although they couldn't be together, love still found a way...

What captivated Mary the most, was seeing her big brothers and sisters playing in and around the family pond.

But, the best view of all for Mary, was in the winter... She delighted to watch her siblings sledding and ice skating across the frozen pond. Mary lived vicariously through them, imagining herself effortlessly moving her legs to glide in whatever direction she wanted to go!

Mary imagined herself effortlessly moving her legs to glide in whatever direction she wanted to go!

Before returning inside their home, they’d stop to have a snowball fight with each other in front of Mary’s window. One time, a snowball veered off course and accidentally hit her window, with a loud: "BANG"! Everyone instantly froze in their tracks, for they never wanted to cause their baby sister any more anguish than what she was already enduring. Mary gasped; then, she began to giggle. That made them start to giggle, too (with relief); which caused Mary to squeal with delight. It was the first time her big brothers and sisters had ever heard her laugh!

From then on, they’d make a point of letting Mary ‘join in’ with their snowball fight, by always being sure to throw a snowball at her window... How Mary grew to love snow and ice—and their frozen pond!

Oh, how Mary loved snow and ice—and their frozen pond!

Mary was more fortunate than MOST children with the disease… Many had to spend their lives trapped inside a metal, tube-like "iron lung", so they could breathe! Polio often paralyzed the lungs of those affected. Mary developed a morbid fear of ever being put into an iron lung. For Mary, there were things much worse than death... Sometimes, she would have nightmares about it.

Mary had a morbid fear of being trapped inside an iron lung; the way so many other children with polio had to live.

Besides her family, another person Mary looked forward to seeing through her window, was the Ice Man. He would always pause and give her a wink and a smile, when carrying blocks of ice down into their root cellar. What a treat it was to get some shaved ice! Before covering the ice with straw or saw dust (for insulation), Mary's parents would always shave off a cup for her to savor. Her siblings then also each received a cup of ice; and they would all enjoy their chilly treat together, in front of Mary's window. Few things brought Mary greater pleasure.

The Ice Man would always pause and give Mary a wink and a smile, when carrying blocks of ice to their root cellar.

Before the Ice Man started making deliveries, the only way Mary's parents could keep their food cool for a short time, was to seal it up and lower it into the flowing stream that fed their pond; or to store it in their underground root cellar—but leftovers weren't possible.

The stream and their root cellar were the only methods of food storage, when Mary was small.

So, you can understand what a celebrity the Ice Man became, when new companies started delivering ice to communities all around! (For children, the excitement was similar to when the ice cream truck made it's appearance, in later years.) "The Ice Man cometh!" became a popular shout of joy throughout the land.

"The Ice Man cometh!"

The years passed pretty much the same, until one day a remarkable thing occurred... Mary went into remission! Can you imagine how miraculous it felt for Mary and her brothers and sisters to finally be able to all be together, in the same room? For the very first time, Mary was also able to go out in public, in her wheelchair. The community was almost as thrilled as her family was, to have her out and about!

People with polio suddenly had an advocate in the White House... It was revealed to the nation that President Franklin Roosevelt suffered from polio, too! President Roosevelt started a treatment center in Georgia, called "Warm Springs", so others could share in the relief he had found there—the warm waters helped ease the pain of tightened muscles.

Mary's family and their little commuity rallied to raise funds to send Mary there, along with her parents. "There are many good people in this world," Mary said, as they waved goodbye to everyone who had gathered at the train station, to see them off.

With extensive physical therapy, Mary eventually began to walk! Her parents sobbed in thankfulness, the first time they saw her take a few steps. They were so grateful they had lived to see that day!

But sadly, both died shortly after they returned home—first her father, then her mother a few months later. Joy and pain, hope and devastation, life and death... All her brief years, Mary had learned (sooner than most) to relish and appreciate the fleeting good times; for it is all too soon, tempered by the bad. "We are in Satan's system of things," Mary realized.

With extensive physical therapy, Mary began to walk!

The family home was left to whomever would care for Mary. (She was better, but would still need help for the rest of her life.) The boys had already moved out, with families of their own. But, her two big sisters, Frances and Jane, assured her they would all three live together in the family home. Realizing what a big sacrifice this was for them, Mary was moved to tears of appreciation. Rarely is the bond of sisterhood ever forged as strongly as the bond between Frances, Jane, and Mary. Only death itself, could tear them apart.

Frances threw herself into managing their farm with the strength of a bulldozer. Jane was more meek, but proficient at running the house. Mary's personality kept them encouraged; (even though in the community, they were affectionately teased as "The Spinster Sisters"). After so many years of longing to be at her beloved pond from her window, Mary could finally enjoy it to the full!

Mary's favorite activity was, of course, their pond.

Sadly, however, their good times did not last. There is a devastating condition that many people develop after they think they've defeated polio, called: "Post-Polio Syndrome". Mary's remission was over... The polio returned with a vengeance. Tragically, she was soon unable to walk, and was back to being confined to a wheelchair. Then, their worst fears were realized—the polio started attacking Mary's lungs! Mary made her sisters swear an oath that they would NEVER EVER allow her to be put into an iron lung, her worst nightmare. With tears in their eyes, Frances and Jane finally swore; realizing full well, what this would mean.

Frances and Jane finally swore; realizing full well, what this would mean.

When word got out that she was deteriorating quickly, hearts were moved in their little community—they wanted to do something for Mary. Her brothers informed them that Mary had simple desires... the only thing she longed for, was shaved ice from the pond. But, the Ice Man had stopped coming, due to so many families learning how to harvest their own ice—something the Spinster Sisters had not yet learned to do. So, the very next weekend, every able-bodied man in the community met Mary's brothers at the frozen pond, and began to plow lines across the ice, to trace out the blocks.

Plowing lines across the ice, to trace out the blocks...

Back to watching from her window, Mary almost forgot her struggle to breathe, as she was mesmerized by watching the ice harvesting process taking place on their pond... Next, the volunteers were sawing the ice into blocks, with hand-saws.

Next, the volunteers were sawing the ice into blocks, with hand saws.

Then, the men used a tool resembling a pitch fork, to separate the blocks of ice, for gathering.

The men separated the blocks of ice on the frozen pond, for gathering.

Finally, the men began the hard work of loading the blocks of ice that they had harvested, into the root cellar. It was quite dangerous, handling those heavy blocks of slippery ice; but thankfully, all went well—the root cellar was filled without a hitch. Mary was enthralled by what she could see taking place, from her window.

The blocks of ice they had harvested, were loaded into the root cellar.

Meanwhile, the women in the community had been busy, as well. They began to arrive with a huge gift from the entire town for Mary; which a carpenter had loaded into the back of a truck for them. It was a hand-crafted ice box! They had searched far-and-wide for one—ice boxes were still rare in their community, at that time. Can you imagine gaining such technology for the very first time? There wasn't a dry eye in the house as, despite struggling for air, Mary couldn't stop thanking them profusely for their love in action. Everyone oohed and ahhed as the doors were opened to show her the different compartments for the block of ice, the food, and the drainage tray.

But, where were Frances and Jane? They wanted to be the ones to bring in the very first block of ice, and put it into Mary's ice box. Using big metal tongs, together they carried the ice into the house; leading a procession as all who were still outside, followed them in. When they deposited the block of ice into the ice box, Mary clapped—then everybody cheered! But, the celebration wasn't over until Jane shaved off ice chips and gave Mary a cup of the shaved ice, from her beloved pond. Once again, there wasn't a dry eye in the house, as Mary said, between gasps for air: "Ice relieves... my pain like... nothing else. I ... don't know how... to thank you for... bringing me a... bit of our... frozen pond! May God bless... you all."

Frances and Jane wanted to be the ones to bring in the very first block of ice, and put it into Mary's ice box.

Without an iron lung as an option, that sweet young woman succombed to death, the very next day. At her funeral, there wasn't one person present who wasn't glad they had been a part of providing an ice box for Mary.

Finally, a day dawned that was brighter than the decades before... Dr. Jonas Salk developed the first successful polio vaccines, with injections using dead virus. For the first time in history, children could be protected from horrifying paralysis; with just a simple shot!

Finally, a day dawned that was brighter than the decades before... Dr. Jonas Salk developed the first successful polio vaccine!

Not long afterward, Dr. Albert Sabin from Poland, invented an even more effective oral vaccine containing live virus. (I was among those crowds of little ones, rushed by desparate parents into lines, to get that oral vaccine.) Little did we know that when we ate that sweet sugar cube, we were eliminating the dreaded iron lung machines!

Dr. Albert Sabin from Poland invented an even more effective oral polio vaccine!

May no child ever again have to go through what Mary did! But, no matter what crisis we're facing during dark days; light can (and does) spring forth from giving, caring hearts. Mary described it as: "Love in Action", imploring: "There are bad things that happen to us in this system of things; but goodness always shine through. Keep conquering the darkness with the light!"

A popular Ice Box Recipe from those days.

Historical
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About the Creator

Karla Bowen Herman

I've always wanted to be an author, ever since I was a little girl. Time has a way of flying by when you're raising a family. But, I've discovered you're never too old to start! May something I write someday, lift someone's heart.

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