From Polio to Paying It Forward: Danny’s Story of Transformation

Danny was just a baby when polio quietly altered the course of his life. In the early 1950s, before vaccines were widely available and long before many families had access to reliable healthcare, his parents noticed something was amiss. Still, it took over a year to truly understand the cause.

“I wasn’t walking yet at 9 months,” Danny said. “So it wasn’t obvious anything was wrong until I started to try and kept falling.”

By the time Danny was 3, he could move around, but had limited mobility. His right leg, weakened by polio, lagged in growth. His gait was unsteady, and every step was a reminder of the quiet damage caused by the disease. From age 5 to age 8, a local cobbler would modify every pair of shoes he wore to help to keep his legs balanced.

But Danny’s life changed when he was 9, thanks to a chance conversation between his father and a Shriner, Harry Woodward of Kora Shriners. That connection led his family to a Shriners Children's outreach clinic in Lewiston, Maine, and eventually to Shriners Children's New England in Springfield, Massachusetts. It was 1962, and for the first time in his life, Danny left Maine and his family to undergo treatment that would shape the rest of his future.

“I was only 9,” Danny said. “Being away from my family and everything familiar was scary. However, the staff made it as easy and comfortable as possible. They cared for me like I was one of their own.”

His introduction to the hospital was unforgettable: a 3-year-old in a cast, crying in a crib at 6 a.m.

“The whole ward joined in. It was chaos,” Danny said, laughing.

But within a week, he was moved to the older children’s room and soon underwent the first of several life-changing surgeries.

One procedure rerouted a muscle in his right foot, allowing him to lift it and walk more steadily for the first time. Another slowed the growth of his left leg to let his right leg to catch up. From ages 9 to 15, he returned for checkups, physical therapy and additional surgeries, regardless of his family's ability o pay.

But Shriners Children's gave him more than mobility. During months of recovery, Danny discovered something else that would change his life: reading.

“When I got there, I was a remedial reader. I struggled in school. But I found a shelf of Hardy Boys books, and with time and nothing else to do in a cast, I taught myself to read. By the time I returned to school in the fall, I had jumped from behind grade level to ahead of it.”

“This is absolutely not to lessen the impact of what the surgeries did,” Danny said, “but learning to read well, effectively, quickly and with comprehension – that changed everything for me. That may have been just as important as the medical care.”

Danny went on to a successful career in the natural gas utility industry for the state of Maine, rising through the ranks and becoming a respected leader in his field. Today, you would never guess he had polio.

“Thanks to Shriners, I wasn’t noticed for my physical limitations. I was recognized for my technical abilities.”

Now, Danny gives back, proudly supporting Shriners Children’s New England to help other children receive the same opportunities that changed his life.

“It’s because of Shriners that I had the chance to take control of my future. That’s why I feel an obligation to give back.”