"So, he locked himself in his room for two weeks and taught himself how to walk again without the calliper"
Lesley Cox
Designer
Lesley‘s father, Paddy, contracted Polio around ten years of age. Paddy spent four years at Cappagh Hospital in North County Dublin.
After some operations to correct his legs, Paddy was left using crutches and callipers.
In these excerpts, Lesley describes how her father cared for himself, and even taught himself how to walk again unaided.
Due to the stigma associated with contracting a disease such as Polio, Paddy was determined to be self-sufficient and not let the debilitating aftermath of the disease define him.