From eradicating polio to leading the charge against prematurity and birth defects, the March of Dimes continues its war against disease.
The March of Dimes rose from the shadows of a very dark period in American history; the country was not at war, but terror swept through the nation like a plague. Decades before AIDS reared its ugly head, poliomyelitis-or polio -held us hostage, preying predominantly on our most prized possessions: our children. The viral disease killed thousands and left many more paralyzed.
The first epidemic struck in 1916. In the years that followed, some 50,000 children were infected annually by the debilitating disease. During the summer of 1921, polio claimed yet another victim-29-year-old Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Believing that the warm waters could improve or heal his paraplegia, Roosevelt began vacationing at a spa in Georgia, where he found comfort in therapy sessions at a 90-degree mineral springs. With a partner, he purchased the resort in 1926, establishing the Warm Springs Foundation, a nonprofit organization treating polio patients.
After moving into the White House in 1933, the young president sought to help polio victims and hosted the first President’s Birthday Ball, a lavish event inviting people to “dance so that others may walk” during the Great Depression. More than 4,000 communities across the nation staged their own charitable balls that first year, raising an unprecedented $1 million to support polio victims and research.
Roosevelt, who successfully hid his paralysis from the world, quickly established the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis. Famous comedian Eddie Cantor in 1938 encouraged his radio listeners to send their dimes directly to the White House, hyping his campaign with the catchy tagline, “March of Dimes.” Americans responded in droves; the following week, an estimated 2.7 million dimes totaling $1.8 million were delivered to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
From 1938 to 1945, the March of Dimes forged ahead, raising $295 million and creating the largest-ever voluntarily funded research program to target a specific disease. While polio researchers worked tirelessly to identify a vaccine, volunteers aided victims and families. The unprecedented effort paid off and a historic breakthrough came in 1948 when Dr. Jonas Salk developed his experimental killed-virus vaccine.
Within six years, two million children were vaccinated and America began to wake from its horrible nightmare. Indeed, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been no new cases of polio reported in the Western Hemisphere since 1991, although the disease continues to maim or claim the lives of a handful of children each year in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Nigeria.
As America continued to win its war against polio, the hugely successful March of Dimes realized that it needed to refocus. Under the leadership of obstetrical anesthesiologist, Virginia Apgar, the organization reinvented itself.
TENNESSEE’S BATTLESBATTLES
“Today, the March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies,” says Cindy Hackler, senior community director of the March of Dimes in Chattanooga. “We work to prevent premature births, birth defects, and infant mortality through research, education, community service and advocacy.”
Hackler says March of Dimes “grades” each state by comparing premature birthrates to the national goal of 7.6 percent. In 2007, Tennessee received a failing grade.
“Our premature birthrate is around 14.2 percent,” says Hackler. “But we are moving in the right direction. The reality is that 240 babies are born prematurely each week in Tennessee, and we must do something about that. We invested more than $3 million in our state last year to fund more national research grants, community grants, and local public and professional education.”
March of Dimes admits all of the factors contributing to premature birth have not yet been identified, but remains confident. The organization has saved millions of lives over its 72-year history, says Hackler, and it won’t stop marching until every baby is born healthy.
The Mission of the March of Dimes:
To improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.