Polio: A Personal Spiritual Journey

How a Physical Difference Impacts One's Life Trajectory in Challenging and Decisive Ways

By: Robert W. Janek

Narrated by: Todd Robertson

Robert W. Janek grew up, with his mother, father, and older brother, in the farm and ranch country of west Texas. It was a “normal” childhood… until the late summer of 1952 when he had just turned eleven years old and was stricken with polio. Polio: A Personal Spiritual Journey tells the continuing story of the effects of polio on a human being: what it means to go through the initial stages of hospitalization and then the life-long physical, social, and spiritual aftermath of living with partial facial paralysis due to bulbar polio.

With the current resurgence of polio, Robert’s story has also rippling and far-reaching parallels and implications for others who experience any kind of visible differentness: “You are not alone in what you experience, think, and feel!” Caretakers, teachers, family, friends, church folks, employers and more can find in this book insights regarding how best to interact with and support someone who appears a little different. A heart-to-heart connection may well develop. This inspirational story could easily be used with a group to promote discussion and a sharing of in-depth experiences.

©2023 Robert W. Janek (P)2023 Dorrance Publishing