President's Birthday Balls

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the 32^nd president of the United States and served from 1932 to 1945. Best known for the New Deal, his influence is still felt throughout the United States today. In 1921 at the age of 39, FDR was diagnosed with infantile paralysis or poliomyelitis, better known as polio. Initially, FDR was told he had a blood clot in his lower spinal cord and that the area should be massaged. A few days later, the doctor changed his diagnosis to a spinal lesion. The massage therapy continued but was not helpful. Later another doctor, Dr. Robert Lovett, diagnosed him with polio. It was unusual for an adult to receive the diagnoses, but it was thought that FDR had been exposed to the virus at a Boy Scout camp in New York shortly before he fell ill.

Prior to his diagnosis, FDR was actively involved in politics. He suspected that the recent prolonged stress and chaos of his life had weakened his immune system leaving him susceptible to the virus. In order to dedicate himself to recovery, FDR removed himself from politics to recover full time in his home in New York. He found that he could support himself on his legs in the water and used swimming as his main form of exercise. Gradually he regained strength throughout his body. In January of 1922, FDR was fitted with braces that allowed him to stand on his own.

Later FDR was contacted by George Foster Peabody who had heard of a man who was healed of polio by the healing waters of Warm Springs Resort in Georgia. FDR found the waters to be beneficial to his healing although he did not fully recover. In 1926, FDR bought the facility and turned it into a rehabilitation center for polio patients. A year later the American Orthopedic Association named it a permanent hydrotherapeutic center.

Eventually FDR made his debut back into the world of politics. He worried about the response he would receive from people regarding his physical state, but despite the common disregard for people with disabilities, FDR was accepted by the American public. In 1928 FDR ran for governor of New York where he served two terms until he ran for president. Even as president of the United States, he frequently visited Warm Springs. As more patients came to receive treatment at Warm Springs, the facility required more money to keep up with demand. Henry L. Doherty, a public relations consultant and political ally suggested FDR launch the National Committee for Birthday Balls. The committee would sponsor a birthday ball in communities across the nation to raise money and support Georgia Warm Springs Resort. All together over one million dollars were collected in 1934 and split between the communities that held the balls and Warm Springs.