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Story
December 1, 1952
The Key West Citizen
Key West, Monroe County, Florida
What is this article about?
Mrs. Mary Ann Huff, a 30-year-old polio victim paralyzed and in an iron lung for three years in Van Nuys, Calif., manages her household and raises her sons Hank (8) and Johnnie (5) using a specially adapted telephone, achieving independence and normalcy.
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Full Text
Woman Rears Family From An Iron Lung
By Howard Cheyn
VAN NUYS. Calif. -
Mrs. Mary Ann Huff is rearing her children and running her. household from an iron lung.
She does it by telephone.
The pretty 30-year-old polio victim has been in the respirator for three years. She can move her head from side to side. just . a little. Otherwise, she's totally paralyzed.
But she's cheerful and full of hope, and she says her home runs as smoothly as it did before she was stricken.
The mouthpiece of Mrs. Huff's phone is much like that of a headset, and is in a special mounting.
It curves up along the left side of her face. On the other side is a switching gadget with a slim.
sensitive lever. When she brushes this lever with her cheek she makes contact with a central operator. who takes her number. To disconnect, she grasps the lever with her teeth. The slight pull of this biting motion is sufficient to break the circuit.
Her two sons. Hank. 8. Johnnie. 5. look up numbers for her. A list of important ones is pasted on the back of her respirator mirror. These include fire. police and other emergency numbers. so that she can safely be left alone for reasonable periods of time.
"This has given me my first feeling of independence in three years,"she said today. "I order the groceries by phone. I order the children's clothing by phone.
If they aren't right, I send them back. I even tell the barber how I want him to cut Johnnie's hair."
Her Christmas shopping? It's all done.
Mrs. Huff spent two years in a hospital. When she came home it was to a new house. Her husband,
Henry Huff, a vice president of Slick Airways. planned it with her respirator in mind. Mrs. Huff has a special room from which she can see by mirror into the living room and. through a picture window. to the tree-lined street beyond. The other direction her room looks out upon the garden.
Doorways are wide enough to accommodate the respirator en- trances are equipped with ramps.
"My chief determination is to live as normal a life as possible."
says Mrs. Huff. "That's why I felt I just had to get out of the hospital. Hank and Johnnie had been with their grandmother. but I decided that since they were my children I should be rearing them."
"My goal is a portable chest respirator," she confided. "Then I can go to the beach with the boys."
By Howard Cheyn
VAN NUYS. Calif. -
Mrs. Mary Ann Huff is rearing her children and running her. household from an iron lung.
She does it by telephone.
The pretty 30-year-old polio victim has been in the respirator for three years. She can move her head from side to side. just . a little. Otherwise, she's totally paralyzed.
But she's cheerful and full of hope, and she says her home runs as smoothly as it did before she was stricken.
The mouthpiece of Mrs. Huff's phone is much like that of a headset, and is in a special mounting.
It curves up along the left side of her face. On the other side is a switching gadget with a slim.
sensitive lever. When she brushes this lever with her cheek she makes contact with a central operator. who takes her number. To disconnect, she grasps the lever with her teeth. The slight pull of this biting motion is sufficient to break the circuit.
Her two sons. Hank. 8. Johnnie. 5. look up numbers for her. A list of important ones is pasted on the back of her respirator mirror. These include fire. police and other emergency numbers. so that she can safely be left alone for reasonable periods of time.
"This has given me my first feeling of independence in three years,"she said today. "I order the groceries by phone. I order the children's clothing by phone.
If they aren't right, I send them back. I even tell the barber how I want him to cut Johnnie's hair."
Her Christmas shopping? It's all done.
Mrs. Huff spent two years in a hospital. When she came home it was to a new house. Her husband,
Henry Huff, a vice president of Slick Airways. planned it with her respirator in mind. Mrs. Huff has a special room from which she can see by mirror into the living room and. through a picture window. to the tree-lined street beyond. The other direction her room looks out upon the garden.
Doorways are wide enough to accommodate the respirator en- trances are equipped with ramps.
"My chief determination is to live as normal a life as possible."
says Mrs. Huff. "That's why I felt I just had to get out of the hospital. Hank and Johnnie had been with their grandmother. but I decided that since they were my children I should be rearing them."
"My goal is a portable chest respirator," she confided. "Then I can go to the beach with the boys."
What sub-type of article is it?
Personal Triumph
Medical Curiosity
Biography
What themes does it cover?
Triumph
Survival
Misfortune
What keywords are associated?
Iron Lung
Polio Victim
Telephone Adaptation
Family Management
Independence
Personal Resilience
What entities or persons were involved?
Mrs. Mary Ann Huff
Hank
Johnnie
Henry Huff
Where did it happen?
Van Nuys, Calif.
Story Details
Key Persons
Mrs. Mary Ann Huff
Hank
Johnnie
Henry Huff
Location
Van Nuys, Calif.
Story Details
Paralyzed polio victim Mrs. Mary Ann Huff lives in an iron lung but uses an adapted telephone to manage her household, order groceries and clothes, direct her sons' care, and maintain independence, aiming for a portable respirator to join family outings.