Rose Russell O’Donovan from Youghal will feature in the new RTÉ documentary called Outbreak tonight (Tue.16th June ’09) at 8.30pm Photo Michael Hussey (YoughalOnline.com)

It’s difficult to believe that it is over 50 years since “The Polio Epidemic” that hit Ireland and especially Cork.  It started in June 1956 and lasted for several months.  It was so serious that even the Cork V Wexford All-Ireland Hurling Final was postponed for three weeks. At the time I was 11 months old when I contracted the virus.  I was admitted to the Fever Unit in St. Finbarr’s Hospital and the later transferred to St. Mary’s Orthopaedic Hospital in November 1956 which was more or less to be my home and school for the next 18 years.
Initially I was under the care of Dr. Roche who was tragically killed in a plane crash.  Then I was transferred to the care of Mr. Fred Moore who continued to look after me throughout my childhood and performed eighteen surgical procedures.
Even though all this surgery was difficult for me and more so to my parents Josie and Alfie Kavanagh, as I was their only daughter at the time, but the most daunting difficulty for me was the ward sister who ruled Block Three, the Children’s Unit, with a rod of iron, who even went so far as to force feed me on many occasions.
However, there was a romantic side to the Orthopaedic, as on attending the physio department, I met my husband the late Jim Russell who was also a patient.  Jim was subsequently discharged but continued to visit me.  At the time a day-pass could be obtained with parental consent to allow you out for a few hours and away from the hospital on Sunday afternoons.  So Jim collected me and our first date was for tea at the Hilltop Hotel, Youghal.  This Sunday afternoon trend continued to blossom, and having sought my father’s permission, Jim proposed and we got married in September 1975.
Our marriage was blessed with three lovely children, Aoife, Jimmy and Sinead.  We had 16 wonderful years together as a family until fate intervened on 17th February 1992 when Jim died suddenly.  Even though Jim had departed this life, I always felt he was with me in spirit and 18 months later fate again intervened when a cousin of mine introduced me to my second husband Max O’Donovan and we got married in June 1995.
For approximately 20 years I had no contact with the Orthopaedic Hospital until the late effects of Polio manifested itself and 4 further surgical procedures were necessary, but the only long term solution was to have my leg amputated.  This was a difficult decision, but with the support I got from my husband Max and the expertise of my surgeon Mr. Anthony McGuinness, it made my decision easer to go ahead with the amputation, which duly had done in October 2004.
To the reader it might suggest that life may have been difficult for me, but even though I didn’t have two perfect legs, nevertheless I was compensated with two perfect husbands and three healthy children and one grandchild.