Andrew Kyprianou - My Polio Story

I fell down the stairs and landed head-first into a bucket

Hi, my name is Andrew Kyprianou, well — part of my name — and this is my polio story

Hi, my name is Andrew Kyprianou, well part of my name having an Irish Catholic Mother and Cypriot Father means adding a few more, Baptize, Confirmation, Father’s name and of course Family name…no Kyprianou is not the family name but that’s another tale to tell,   however as a kid I was called Kipper which now days has become Kyp.

So Polio and I or is it Me and Polio??? were first introduced to each other in the London Underground in 1942 or there about, however because of whatever it was not really obvious to my Irish relatives (Dad was off fighting some war or other)until one day when I was two or so and fell down a long stair case and landed head first into a bucket that’s when they thought maybe he should be walking or tottering a bit ! So yep, it was discovered that the right side of my body was not really working as well as a bonny Greek Cypriot Irish Cockney laddie should and got diagnosed with my mate Polio, it was called Infantile paralysis much posher name!

Mainly my right leg was not pulling its weight and slacking off, leaving my left side very tired and fed up. That was the start of a very long relationship with hospitals, moving muscles around, putting irons on boots to be continuously broken and eventually stopping my left leg from growing, which it was not very happy with ! The downside of this is no real education, however Mum undaunted, decided as the “first born” son, I Kipper should become a priest and off I was dispatched to the Salesians  abroad in THE NORTH TO A PLACE CALLED MANCHESTER, onto a village called Pott Shrigley. To be ..well first as a priest…..then nah that won’t work ….Hmmm a Brother!! well not really a brother more a Lay Brother, yes that was the answer a Lay Brother…didn’t go down well with Mum and as it was Catholic nothing to do with Dad. So, school in the morning, geography, Italian, bit of maths and book binding and printing because?  Well they were going to send me to Italy to become a printer, trouble was I could not read or write ENGLISH! Let alone Italian, well sort of up to age 7’ish... so by the time I got to 14 and had done a few years as a kitchen boy and farm hand. It was decided that my future lay outside of Pott Shrigley into the wide world as I obviously had an Intellectual Disability!

Which was good, because the Seminary was on top of the Pennines and freezing during winter, the rule was no boy was to be allowed to wear long pants until he was 16, so I endured the most terrible frost boils the size of pennies on my leg due to lack of circulation. Which was good because it trained me to bear pain in case I was ever caught by Communists and tortured!  

So off at 14 to work, my Dad being Greek Cypriot had a fish shop, and I helped there, but got a great job as a messenger boy for 20th Century Fox in Soho! Another tale to tell, later maybe!

Any how a number of jobs later cause …... after the war plenty of work for youngsters even with disabilities, a new friend asked me to join a drama group as they need men to carry spears and what not, plus there were all these “birds” all wanting to get on the stage!! 

Anyhow I moved on to a more serious group soon after as the girls were not keen on an illiterate hop a long and became a founding member of the REACTORS!

I was taken under the wings of Jean an highly respected actress  who was a refugee from South  Africa, and we were trained 2 to 3 times a week in Stanislavsky Method acting which encouraged me to apply to RADA  ..alas the requirements in those days was to cold read a script, to dance including tap, juggle and fence… when I explained that would be difficult because my mate Polio wouldn’t have a bar of it and it had also made friends with Meningitis  when I was 6 or 7, leaving me with no real balance and tune deaf to beat and music …ah !!

So, the punch line …. they RADA, informed me that “THEY REALLY WANTED ACTORS THAT CAN LIMP RATHER THAN ONES THAT DO LIMP!” sad eh, I did cover for Bob Hoskins who was snatched up for the Royal…. another time….

So in-between all this I ended up here in Australia married, with a social work degree and specialised in trauma plus other dramatic areas of self-employed work and was for a number of years the State and National President of Disabled Peoples International, a lobby and advocacy group…and the longest serving member of the S.A Parole Board under Ms Nelson over 30 years… another story me thinks …if you want !! might even let you see some photos from my hobby photography !

Many Thanks Kyp for your story and for sharing with us.

Spring 2020 Newsletter

Africa declared free of wild polio in momentous milestone

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday declared that Africa was free of the virus that causes polio, a landmark in a decades-long campaign to eradicate the notorious disease around the world.

"Today is a historic day for Africa," said Professor Rose Gana Fomban Leke, whose commission certified that no polio cases had occurred on the continent for the past four years, the threshold for eradication.

Poliovirus now joins smallpox on the list of viruses that have been wiped out in Africa, the WHO said.

A list of resources to support older people during the COVID-19 period.

Hi all, please find below a list of resources to support older people during the COVID-19 period. If you need or don't need to access any of these services, you might know someone who does.

While Polio Australia doesn't provide individual support/advocacy, we are happy to continue this conversation - if you know of other organisations or support services, we'd love to hear about them so we can share them with others.

National COVID-19 Older Persons Information Line:

• According to the My Aged Care website, this line is for people who are feeling lonely or worried and looking for support and advice

• 1800 171 866 – Monday to Friday, 8.30am-6.00pm

Help with groceries and meals:

• This is a short-term service for the COVID-19 period.

• If you’re already on a home care package and this service isn’t part of your usual care, you can call your provider to enquire, or call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422.

• If you’re registered with My Aged Care (even if you don’t use any services), you can use your ID number for priority online shopping. If you don’t know how to do this, or need more than just online shopping, call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422.

• If you’re not registered with My Aged Care, it’s best to give My Aged Care a call on 1800 200 422.

• My Aged Care's website is www.myagedcare.gov.au

Friend Line:

• www.friendline.org.au

• If people are looking for connection and just someone to chat to, they can call Friend Line on 1800 424 287. Please note it’s not a crisis support line – just a chat for company.

• 6pm – 8pm, Tuesday to Thursday or 2pm – 5pm, Saturday & Sunday.

Be Connected:

• beconnected.esafety.gov.au/bookings#connecting-to-others

• Be Connected is for help with connecting with others online, and using the internet safely.

• Ironically, they share information via webinars – but people can call them on 1300 795 897 to get started.

Older Persons Advocacy Network:

• opan.com.au

• If people don’t feel that they’re being fairly treated, they can contact the Older Persons Advocacy Network on 1800 700 600.

Counselling and Crisis Support:

• Finally, there are phone counselling services such as Lifeline (13 11 14) and Beyond Blue (1300 22 4636) for those who need to speak to someone about their experiences.

• Lifeline: www.lifeline.org.au/

• Beyond Blue: www.lifeline.org.au

Also, don't forget to reach out to your state network for polio-related issues - see www.polioaustralia.org.au/support-and-services for contact details.

contact: poliosa.office@gmail.com or 0466 893 402 for South Australia

Polio's permanent reminders

An article that appears in MedicSA magazine that is distributed to all GP’s in South Australia which was written by Dr Nigel Quadros Senior Consultant Rehabilitation Medicine at Queen Elizabeth Hospital & Michael Jackson Clinical Health Educator at Polio Australia.

Thanks to the persistence of the late Brett Howard - past Polio SA President - and Polio SA Committee members, an article on Late Effects of Polio was published in MedicSA yesterday. The article is a great opportunity to reach General Practitioners and others in the medical field in South Australia.

We encourage polio survivors to add this article to their resources if educating their own General Practitioners.

The Prime Minister, Scott Morrison's response to Polio Australia's open letter dated 4th of May regarding the US decision to cease support for the World Health Organisation.

The Prime Minister, Scott Morrison's response to Polio Australia's open letter dated 4th of May regarding the US decision to cease support for the World Health Organisation.

Polio SA Member subscription form 2020/21

Polio SA Membership is due on 1st July 2020

Please click below to download form

Thank you William (Bill) Green

Bill Green was around 10 years of age when he contracted Polio mainly in his throat, but it also affected his legs and he spent some time in Adelaide Children’s Hospital, where he had to learn to walk again. In summer he would be wheeled out onto the veranda there where he met a friend and relished time together in the sunshine. Bill was in the Children’s Hospital for around 10-12 months

Bill’s childhood & many adult years were spent with his family in Seaton Park, until he met his wife Winifred and they then lived at Clovelly Park. Bill & Winifred were keen photographers they also met at a camera club. Bill was married to Winifred for 31 years. Bill’s sister called Polio SA office recently to say Bill had left an amount of $99,672.86 to Polio SA. Bill was a member of Polio SA for many years and when Polio SA newsletter was delivered he would read from cover to cover and was pleasing to know that Bill also would take any information that we sent out to his Doctor. Bill passed away in October 2019 aged 91 and a half.

We sincerely thank Bill for his most kind and generous bequest to Polio SA. It will make a huge difference for our Organisation to be able to carry on providing services to the Post-Polio Community.

Our thoughts are with you Bill and much love to your family.

Assistive Technology for All - Please sign the Petition

Assistive Technology for All (ATFA) is an alliance of organisations from across the ageing and disability sectors. It is a response to growing concern about the lack of access to assistive technology for all people who are not eligible for the NDIS. Assistive Technology For All would like more people to sign their petition calling for equitable access to assistive technology for people outside the NDIS.

Please see the petition here, There is also an opportunity on the same page for people to share their own stories. https://assistivetechforall.org.au/take-action/

If you need more information about the campaign,contact us at info@assistivetechforall.org.au or call on 03 9655 2140.

You can also submit your case study click on link below

Helen Harrison - My Polio Story

Helen Harrison age 3 or 4. With this home-made carriage Helen was able to be wheeled around the town

I lived in the Murray Mallee when polio hit me just before Christmas 1946. My mother had a one- month-old baby girl and called on the next-door neighbours to look after her when I came out of hospital. My father (wrongly) blamed himself for letting the flies give it to me when we were out looking for a pine tree to take home for our Christmas tree.

My uncle owned a car and drove me to the Children’s Hospital where I think I must have stayed for 2 months. When I got home, I was in a frame and not even allowed to sit up to drink. I learnt to draw daisies by holding a pencil between my toes. In our town the doctor’s wife was a physio and I think that is why I made such a remarkable recovery. When I started school in 1948, I was wearing one shoe built up probably a good inch or more by the local cobbler. As my legs grew, they ended up to within a quarter of an inch of the same length. I came last in all running races at school but showed no evidence of what had happened to me. I cannot tell whether I have any lasting effects, apart from a weak neck and tiring easily. But that may not be because of polio. As for late effects, well, the bottom of my spine is degraded but that could be age related. I ruptured a disc after a long-haul flight but so do others reaching for the overhead locker or the carousel! I was reluctant to join Polio SA because everyone else is more incapacitated than me. Eventually I made contact by attending a workshop at Tea Tree Gully library but even then, held back. It was the hydrotherapy option that finally made me join, and what a wonderful loosening up of stiffness that gives me !

Thankyou to Helen for sharing her story.