Although she sought removal of the Norplant rods 15 months after insertion, doctors were unsuccessful in removing them, even after nearly one and one-half hours of surgery. Two months later two more surgeons finally removed the implants through two separate incisions.
Dr. Pol has rescued several Great Danes, rabbits, emus, and even a cow that he helped raise with his family. All three of Dr. Polâs children have worked at his veterinary clinic. Dr. Polâs children have raised lambs, chickens, pigs, rabbits, and cows for the 4-H Fair. Dr. Pol owns and proudly wears wooden clogs.
The fear was well grounded. By the 1950s, polio had become one of the most serious communicable diseases among children in the United States. In 1952 alone, nearly 60,000 children were infected with the virus; thousands were paralyzed, and more than 3,000 died. Hospitals set up special units with iron lung machines to keep polio victims alive.