Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, November 14, 1994 TAG: 9411140108
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JIM STRATTON DAILY PRESS
DATELINE: GLOUCESTER LENGTH: Medium
Field has wondered that since 1964, the year he took an oral polio vaccine that doctors say backfired - a vaccine that gave him polio and weakened the left side of his body in a matter of weeks.
Now, after 30 years of partial paralysis, Field wants to know if he's really one in a million.
His ad, he said, tells the story.
``I was persuaded by various sources that I should take the vaccine and became one of the losers,'' it reads. ``I am very interested in seeing if there are other losers in the area this paper covers. If there is anyone out there who qualifies as `one in a million,' kindly let me hear from you. Maybe we can form a One in a Million Club.''
It's important that society remember the price some people paid in the battle to eradicate polio, Field said.
``I guess I'm just trying to keep the interest up,'' he said. ``I think it should be recognized that a few people had to suffer the consequences so everyone else could benefit.''
Field took his vaccine in January 1964. At the time, polio was still widespread and there was a national push to wipe it out. Communities sponsored ``Sabin on Sunday'' programs inviting residents to receive the oral vaccine. The campaign proved remarkably successful, virtually wiping out the disease in the United States.
Field took his vaccine one Sunday.
At the time, he was 36 years old, raising a family and working the land handed down by his father and grandfather.
Field said he didn't really want to go - he's always been wary of doctors - but his family encouraged him. With some gentle nudging from his mother, Field popped the little sugar cube. Within a few days, it was clear something had gone wrong. His left shoulder ached and he became feverish. His neck grew stiff, and he felt nauseated. By mid-February, with Field barely able to walk, he was admitted to the hospital.
Twelve days and five spinal taps later, he was allowed to go home. Doctors still hadn't been able to nail down the cause of the weakness - ``They only knew there was an infection,'' Field said - but Field was already suspicious of the vaccine.
He tried to return to farming but found his strength sapped. For a man who had relied on his muscle - Field is 6-foot-6 and weighs more than 200 pounds - it was a difficult time.
Gradually, though, some strength returned, and Field learned to compensate with his still-healthy muscles.
``I made it all right,'' Field said. ``I was able to work anyhow.''
By that time, doctors formally had ruled that the Sabin vaccine had caused Field's paralysis. Instead of protecting him from polio, doctors determined, the small amount of live virus contained in the Sabin vaccine had brought on the disease. The same type of risk exists for other vaccines as well, although, like the Sabin vaccine, the odds of that happening are extremely small - about one in 7.8 million, according to medical authorities.
Despite his partial paralysis, Field was able to continue working as a farmer until the late 1970s. Even then, he said, he got out of the business more for financial reasons, not because he couldn't do the job.
His right side is intact, and he retained some strength in his left arm. The real problem, he said, is his left leg. His calf has begun to atrophy and the leg provides little support. Still, his paralysis didn't keep him from earning a living, didn't keep him from doing most of the things he liked.
That wasn't true for some of the other people paralyzed by the vaccine. Many never walked again. It's those people, he said, he's trying to reach with his ad. He doesn't want their story to be forgotten.
``If this kept children from getting polio, it was worth it,'' he said. ``If the odds really are one in a million, it's got to be.
``But you've got to realize that there were some people who were hurt in the process. I just want them to know they're not alone.''
William Fields can be contacted at Box 690, Gloucester, Va. 23601.
by CNB