This is my personal website and is about how I contracted the polio virus and how it has affected me through-out my life and how I have coped, also you will find some personal photo's of myself and family, I will introduce myself to you.

My name is Steven Paul Carrett and I was born in 1955, I caught the polio virus when at the tender age of about 2yrs old in 1957, when we had a big outbreak of polio here in the UK, I had just missed out on being vaccinated for the disease which was very unlucky for me, sometimes I wished that I could have lead a more normal life like walking without aids and running. I got married in 1977 to my wife Frances and have 2 sons.

Polio had effected my spine, hips and both legs, had spent six months in an iron lung in Lord Mayor Treloar Hospital at Alton, Hants, spent about 9 months there laid out straight on a wooden frame to try and keep my spine straight and had numerous operations over the coming years, and have had 2 operations on my spine to try and straighten it.

I had my first spinal fusion operation done when I was about 13yrs old in 1968 at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Stanmore, Middlesex and the surgeon was a Mr. Charles Manning, and I attended outpatients at the R.N.O.H at Great Portland Street in London. If I never had this operation done I would have ended up being in a wheelchair. Before the the operation was done I was suspended upside down at a 45 degree angle on a bed with steel pins through both of my ankles for 3 weeks using my own weight to try and straighten my spine as much as possible, then I had the operation, and a steel rod "Harrington" was clamped to my spine to keep it straight and when I woke from the operation I discovered that I was laid out on a special bed called a "Striker" as it was known.

I was on this bed for about 4 weeks and about every 2 - 4 hours I was turned over with a top frame which was screwed down tight which I was sandwiched in between frames spun over in mid-air from my tummy to my back and vice-versa mind you though you never got much sleep being on one of those beds and they were not very comfortable at all, it was very difficult to eat and drink whether you were lying face down looking at the floor with a board supporting your food and drink or face up staring at the ceiling and also it was difficult when nature takes over as well, to view round the ward we used to have an adjustable mirror fixed to the bed.

Also I had some weights attached to my legs with a pulley system at the end of the bed, I had some friends in hospital who had 2 pins in a clamp inserted in their head with weights pulling their head straight and it was awful as one day a mate of mine whose sharps pins came out and had to have them re-inserted and he was in agony, I was lucky I did not have this done to me, because they drilled 2 holes then insert the clamp and tighten it up, yuk. And after my time was up on that bed I was put in a plaster-cast for 6 months from my chin down to my hips which was very uncomfortable in the summer and got very itchy.

I came out of plaster and then spent a further 6 months in a Milwaukee Brace supporting the spine while it got stronger. I attended a special school for the disabled at Lord Mayor Treloar College nr Alton, between 1968 - 1973 where I spent many a happy time and made lots of friends and one particular friend I had whose name was a Richard Rayner, he and I were very good pals as I used to push him about everywhere in his wheel-chair at college etc.

I find it very frustrating sometimes when there are things that I cannot do what others can do, anyway I get about the best way I can. I do get quite tired at times but when I go out shopping I have to use a wheelchair now as I find it easier to get out and about. I am lucky to be as I am now as I know of people that are worse off than me. If you would like to view pictures of myself and family then please feel free and click on link below.

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