Janice Nichols

Twin Voices: a Memoir of Polio, the Forgotten Killer Janice Nichols

Today, more than fifty years after the Salk vaccine was declared safe and effective against polio, the virus remains an active killer and crippler in several Third World countries-a fact that most of us around the globe have forgotten. But Janice Flood Nichols will never forget. A childhood victim of the 1953 Dewitt, New York, polio epidemic, her personal and professional life have been profoundly shaped by her experience. Nichols lost her twin brother, Frankie, to the disease and suffered temporary paralysis, leading her to choose a career as a rehabilitation counselor. Despite setbacks, Nichols has never lost her optimism. In this heartwarming memoir, she offers an intimate account of her miraculous steps to healing, the simple ways she continues to celebrate her brother's short but joyous life, and her unwavering determination to help eradicate the virus from the world. Twin Voices provides a unique and timely glimpse into one of the twentieth century's most deadly diseases.