Paige Havens administering polio vaccine | Provided.
By Paige Havens
HOSCHTON, Ga. | As a member of the Rotary Club of Gwinnett for 19 years, I’ve been actively engaged in Rotary’s mission to eradicate polio from the face of the earth. I’ve loyally given to the End Polio Now campaign, as well as championed polio education and awareness events. As I’ve watched Rotary’s efforts gain ground around the world, I’ve dreamed of “someday” being a part of a Rotary immunization team that would administer life-saving vaccines to children in high-risk areas.
Finally, in January, I seized an opportunity to travel to India with a team of Rotarians representing four countries for a polio immunization experience. Our mission: to serve and to learn.
In 19 days, I traveled 21,809 miles visiting five states across India. Our experiences brought us up close and personal with the realities of polio. We visited the Rotary International South Asia office and had a briefing from the World Health Organization to understand better the history of polio, surveillance efforts, and the eradication plan.
Polio remains endemic in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Though there were only 10 active cases last year, we were reminded polio is just one plane ride or border crossing away from raging again without complete eradication.
A visit to St. Stephen’s Hospital in New Delhi brought the data to life as Dr. Mathew Varghese, one of the last remaining orthopedic surgeons treating polio survivors, gave a tour of his Rotary-funded clinic. Meeting survivors was life changing. Their looks of gratitude and tear-filled eyes said thank you beyond measure.
Our first round of polio vaccinations took place in Gurgaon. Placing those first two drops in the mouth of a little girl was beyond emotional. But what struck me even deeper was the look of deep gratitude in her mother’s eyes. Though we didn’t speak the same language, our mama hearts didn’t need words. We both knew what…
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