Mazerolle recounts time in iron lung at a rehab facility in Bath as a child
CARIBOU, Maine — A plethora of once commonplace items, ranging from vintage typewriters and photographs to a 1959 Studebaker truck, were on display in and around Caribou High School last Thursday.
Inspired by a national social studies conference, CHS teacher Stephen Burden organized the school’s first pop-up museum last year, which featured a World War II theme. This year, the museum showcased 1950s memorabilia, featuring items donated by students, staff and community members as well as the Loring Air Force Base and Stockholm museums.
“The idea is that you bring in objects from your home that are related to the 1950s,” said Burden. Then you have conversations about what life was like in that era.”
Guest speaker Stephen Mazerolle kicked off the event by telling students about his experiences in an iron lung.
At just three years old, Mazerolle contracted polio and spent six months in an iron lung, and another year Mazerolle spent six months in an iron lung and an additional year and a half at a rehab facility in Bath.
“We didn’t have any iron lungs in the area back then,” said Mazerolle. “Caribou was such a small town, and we just didn’t have the facilities. The local hospital, which was called Cary Hospital at the time, contacted an organization out in Chicago that had several iron lungs available, and they sent 10 iron lungs to Caribou via air transport out of Loring Air Force Base.”
Mazerolle explained that the devices work by pressing on your chest, which helps you breathe. After spending more than a year at the Bath rehabilitation facility, Mazerolle was finally ready to go home.
“Unfortunately, a lot of us were left with paralysis; I was left with a paralyzed left arm,” said Mazerolle. “I favor it a lot, and try to mask it so people don’t notice, but they do. Some people couldn’t even walk when they left. A good friend of mine, originally from Caribou, left with two paralyzed legs, and today he’s a drummer in a rock and roll band, so you can heal and you can get better. It’s just a matter of mindset.”
Currently, Mazerolle is a member of the Caribou Rotary, joining because eradicating polio is one of the organization’s worldwide goals.
“We had three countries with polio last year,” Mazerolle said, “now it’s down to two. What’s happening is that there is so much civil war going on in these African countries, that it’s hard to get healthcare workers in there to vaccinate these children. Hopefully, polio is on its way out.”
