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Annual
Meeting
If
you are looking for answers,
Our MissionTo ensure that every polio survivor has the knowledge, resources, and support they need to realize their abilities to the fullest. Association ProfileAccording to the Public Health Service number there are 1.63 million people in the US who have had Polio, which means 50,000 polio survivors per 8 million Americans. TPSA was founded in 1984 in answer to the many calls and requests for information and advice. We called a meeting, not knowing how any people would show up – and 310 polio survivors and some of their family members came. All with the same questions: “what’s happening to me”, and “what am I going to do” and “Where can I get help” TPSA is organized to perform exclusively educational and charitable activities within their Section 501(c)(3) corporation guidelines. Specifically, TPSA will provide support to people (in Texas and the surrounding region) experiencing the late effect(s) of polio. Thousands of us are living with the possibility of returning to crutches, wheelchairs and even respirators. These unexpected changes make an uncompromising impact on the whole family. Information, education and financial assistance to polio survivors is paramount. You can help us help our polio survivors just by sharing what you know, and by any donation you are able to make. Polio fast facts For years polio was one of the most feared diseases in America, responsible for crippling paralysis and death. In 1952, it reached its peak in the United States with more than 21,000 paralytic cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Jonas Salk introduced the polio vaccine in 1955, stopping the spread of the disease and eventually eradicating it in the United States. Nearly 1.63 million polio survivors live in the United States today, US Public Health Service estimates 140,000 survivors of the 1940 and 1950 epidemics in Texas. Who knows how many younger survivors got polio in South America and Mexico and have immigrated to Texas. This means there are 50,000 survivors for every 8 million Americans. More than 300,000 of the country's' polio survivors may be at risk of post-polio syndrome, which is marked by muscle weakness, pain, fatigue, breathing problems and decreased tolerance of cold temperatures, symptoms that appear 10 to 40 years after the initial illness. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke estimates that Post Polio Syndrome affects between 25 and 50 percent of these survivors. For more information or to make a donation, contact: Texas Polio
Survivors' Association, Inc.
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