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Loading... Breath: A Lifetime in the Rhythm of an Iron Lung: A Memoirby Martha Mason
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. Recommended by my librarian. I enjoyed the read and found myself thinking back to my childhood in the fifties when polio was a real threat. I recall my father taking me to visit a child confined to an iron lung. I can't imagine living a lifetime in that state. However, Martha Mason focused on her life and experiences more than she does the challenges of living in a machine. Martha Mason was an amazing woman. With each chapter, I continued to be in awe of all that she accomplished after being struck with Polio at the age of 12. My favorite part of the memoir was about her childhood. I got a true glimpse of what it was like to be a child in the 1940's, with strong, loving parents, a teasing big brother and lots of friends. Martha experiences a significant loss at a young age, and her health is compromised soon after. I strongly recommend this memoir. I think it is safe to say that this is the most powerful memoir that I have read to date. With each passing chapter, I grew more fond of Martha and her mother and their loving care-givers. The fact that Martha never let her polio paralysis stop her from anything was truly amazing. no reviews | add a review
Mason shares her remarkable, inspiring story. After contracting polio as a young girl Mason lived a record 61 of her 71 years in an iron lung until her death in 2009, but she never let the 800-pound cylinder define her. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)362.1968350092Social sciences Social problems and services; associations Social problems of & services to groups of people People with physical illnesses Services to people with specific conditions Diseases Diseases of nervous system and mental disorders Other organic diseases of central nervous systemLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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The experience, or even the idea, of an iron lung is more or less foreign today, so this was a quite fascinating read, as well as a curious peek into a time gone by. NB: As of 2014 there remained 10 people worldwide still living in iron lungs. ( )