In spring 1944, the Allies were preparing to storm the beaches of Normandy on D-Day. Meanwhile, in North Carolina’s Piedmont, the folks back home had a different challenge on their hands.
In late May, a child was diagnosed with polio in Catawba County. Over the next few weeks, more than two dozen additional children were stricken with the virus. Soon, hospitals in Gastonia and Charlotte were filled with polio patients. That left the community in Hickory with nowhere to turn.
The community there came together and in a little more than two days built a makeshift hospital to treat local patients. Over the course of nine months, the facility treated more than 450 patients. It became known as the “Miracle of Hickory.”
We head on the road to Lenoir-Rhyne University to look back on this period, hear from a historian, medical expert, and a survivor, plus learn more about what happens when a community comes together during a crisis. That and more next time on Charlotte Talks.
GUESTS:
Richard Eller, Catawba County Community College historian in residence and author of 'Polio, Pitchforks, and Perseverance: How A North Carolina County Named Catawba Built a "Miracle"'
Dan Moury, Miracle of Hickory survivor
Kimberly Price, associate professor of public health and director of the Master of Public Health program at Lenoir-Rhyne University
