Franklin Roosevelt - from polio to the great president of America

Paralyzed at the age of 39 and unable to walk, Roosevelt still managed to become president of the United States and navigate the country through difficulties.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the president who led the United States through two of the greatest crises of the 20th century, the Great Depression and World War II. But not many people know, he is also facing a personal crisis that is his struggle with polio. The crisis came when he was only 39 years old and was harboring ambitions to return to politics, after his defeat in the 1920 vice presidential election.

On the morning of August 11, 1921, Roosevelt woke up and began to feel unwell. After hours of sailing and swimming at the Canadian resort of Campobello Island, his legs began to ache. His body was shaking uncontrollably, so he decided to go to bed early. But the next morning, the situation was even worse. Roosevelt had a fever of nearly 39 degrees Celsius.

That was the beginning of Roosevelt's battle with polio, which left him almost completely paralyzed in the lower half of his body. He cannot stand or walk on his own without support. His mother advised her son to give up his political career and return to Hyde Park, New York. But Roosevelt's wife believed that he needed to continue his career.

During his recovery, Roosevelt had to depend on his wife to keep his name in the Democratic party. From a shy person, Eleanor Roosevelt became a good speaker and political analyst. Her speeches throughout New York state helped keep Roosevelt's name from fading in American politics.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt visited Colombia in July 1934. Photo: AP .

Roosevelt also never gave up hope of being able to walk on his own two feet. In December 1921, after recovering for several months, a physiotherapist began working with him to determine the extent of the damage to the body. During the first weeks of 1922, he began to practice alone. This was a difficult period, when he couldn't even get up for months. Therefore, he had to start with small exercises, trying to work the muscles. Roosevelt had to use a steel brace in his leg to be able to stand on crutches. After that, he continued to practice hard walking around the room.

In October 1922, Roosevelt visited his law office at the Equitable Building, where a welcome party was prepared for him. The support driver failed to fasten the rubber on his left crutch, causing Roosevelt to slip to the floor. He laughed and asked two young men in the crowd to help him to his feet. He did not return to the office two months later.

Roosevelt believed that the warm climate and exercise were good for his legs, so he bought a houseboat in February 1923 to sail with friends and a small crew to Florida. He lived on the boat for weeks, fishing and spending time with friends. He also designed a pulley system, which helps bring the body into the water to practice swimming.

In May 1923, the therapist said that his body had not improved much from the previous year. However, Roosevelt did not accept this result. He went on to try a variety of other therapies.

Roosevelt first visited the city of Warm Springs in Georgia in October 1924. For the next several years, it became his regular place to stay for his hydrotherapy recovery efforts. With the help of his personal therapist in Warm Springs, Roosevelt diligently taught himself to walk short distances with braces in his hips and legs.

"From 1925 to 1928, Franklin spent about 116 of 208 weeks, living away from home and trying to find a way to restore mobility," said historian Geoffrey Ward, Roosevelt's biographer. Roosevelt could not recover his legs, but regular exercise kept him in excellent health.

After a few years, Roosevelt returned to American politics, becoming governor of New York in 1928. In 1932, he became the first and only disabled person to be elected president of the United States.

The American people approved and supported a politician with a disability more than Roosevelt expected, with more people expressing sympathy for his condition than condemnation, according to the Franklin Delano Presidential Library and Museum. Roosevelt.

However, he was still determined not to let the public see his image in a wheelchair, fearing it would affect public opinion. Secret Service agents often block the view when the president is in a wheelchair and ask reporters not to take pictures. Most reporters respected the White House's request.

When appearing in public, Roosevelt often had one hand on his mentor or son and a cane in the other. When standing to speak, he often wears a brace on his leg and grips the podium tightly to keep his balance.

Statue of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in a wheelchair in Washington, D.C., May 2008. Photo: AP .

"Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, have seen the president up close during his years in the White House, but most didn't realize he was disabled," said historian Hugh Gregory. Gallagher said.

Many historians believe that polio made Roosevelt a strong man. "He only really realized who he was when he went through polio. It gave him confidence in his own strength, which perhaps no one else could have had not been in that situation. ", says writer James Tobin.

Roosevelt died in 1945 while serving a fourth term as president.

In 2001, a wheelchair-bound statue of Roosevelt was unveiled in Washington, D.C., an image he had previously tried to conceal. The back wall has quotes from former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt about her husband's disability.

"Franklin's illness gave him strength that was previously lacking in courage. He had to learn the basics of life and learn the greatest lesson of all, which is compassion. infinite patience and unceasing persistence," said Eleanor.