Many people will remember Mom in their own way. There are stories about Mom's life that I have heard from her or from other people and there are stories about Mom's life that I have been there for personally. This is how I remember Mom:

Mom was born with polio which is defined as a serious disease caused by a virus called the poliovirus (poliomyelitis) which in its severest form causes paralysis of the muscles of the legs, arms, and respiratory (breathing) system. The incubation period for polio is 7 to 14 days. Mom contracted polio from her mother during birth and 13 days after being born was diagnosed with polio. The story goes that she was in the Guinness Book of World Records as the youngest person to contract polio but I cannot find any proof of that. Mom was completely paralyzed after birth and doctors said that she would never be able to move. That was the first time that she proved the doctors wrong but would not be the last. It started with her little finger moving and slowly over time Mom was able to move most of her body. She became a poster child for the March of Dimes back when the March of Dimes was still people going door to door collecting donations of dimes. The beginning of her life was difficult enough with the disability in a time when most people with disabilities were outcast into asylums. The doctors told Mom's parents that she would never be able to walk but over time, Mom was able to walk with the assistance of crutches. She attended school and eventually graduated from high school. The doctors told Mom that she should not bother to get married because she would be unable to have children. Mom as usual did not let the doctors' bad news stop her. She married and at the age of 20 had her first child.

I don't remember much after that part of her life story up until the point when I was born in 1982 but I was the 4th of Mom's total of 7 children. Ok so maybe she overdid proving the doctors wrong on that one.

I will add more of Mom's story at another time. In the meantime, anyone who knew Mom can feel free to post comments with their memories of her life. Together we will get her entire life story on here.