Gordon O'Donnell Johnson, Salt Lake City, Utah: an interview by Becky B. Lloyd, February 13, 2010

Transcript (27 pages) of interview by Becky B. Lloyd with Gordon O'Donnell Johnson on February 13, 2010. Includes a file of newspaper clippings about polio patients and treatment

Johnson (b. 1938) was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. He discusses his family and early schooling. He contracted polio at age 14 in early September of his ninth-grade year. He describes what he remembers about getting sick. He had a spinal tap at the doctor's office and was taken to Salt Lake County Hospital, where he remained for six months. He was having difficulty clearing his throat of mucous; he received a tracheotomy, spent some time in an iron lung, and later used a chest respirator. He had paralysis of his vocal cords, neck and throat muscles, the left side of his body and right side of face. He couldn't swallow, so received liquid nourishment through a nasogastric tube until April. Johnson describes therapies used in hospital, including hot packs and stretching. He received a daily shot of penicillin throughout his hospital stay. He discusses experiments they wanted to try, but he didn't complete. Eventually he started swallowing and was released from hospital. He never used crutches or braces. The residual effects of polio include a closed tracheotomy, weakness in neck muscles, difficulty speaking, weakness in his legs and a limp (left leg shorter than right). After returning home from the hospital, he never participated again in scouting or sports. He graduated from high school, went on an LDS mission to California, and graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Utah. He relates that he is beginning to experience what may be possible post-polio related symptoms. He worked for Utah Power for 38 years before retiring. He married and has five children. Polio Oral History Project. Interviewer: Becky Lloyd