My grandfather Harold

My Grandfather Harold

The hero I’ve chosen is very close to my heart and has always been a very strong influence in my life. My special hero is my grandfather Harold. He is a 73 year old man who survived polio as a child. He was born in Montreal and is very tall and distinguished. He has grey hair and sparkling blue eyes.

Before they discovered a polio vaccination in the late 1950’s, every summer there were horrifying polio outbreaks and many people died from them. My grandfather contracted polio in December when he was just two years old. This was very odd because most people got polio in the summer and so my grandfather was the only one in the isolation ward. The nurses told his parents that he would cry all night long but there was no one with him. The doctors would tell his parents how he was doing but no one was ever allowed to visit him, not even his own family! The doctor told his parents that he might never walk again! They put a cast on his left leg for a few months and hoped it would get better. Thankfully it did and later he became a high school sports champion. The long lasting effects are that he has a slight facial palsy on the left side of his face and his left side of his body is not as strong as his right side. Another effect is that after having that experience in the isolation ward in the hospital, he cannot stand hearing a child cry because it brings back very bad memories.

As a young adult, my grandfather married my grandmother Jone from New Jersey. They started a family and they had two children, my mother Bunny and my uncle David. During this time he became an optometrist and has been one ever since. He loves his family very much and would do anything to make them happy. My grandfather loves to tell us jokes and make us laugh. He has listened endlessly to my singing and dancing performances. It always makes me so happy to see him applaud my efforts. In spite of his childhood disease he is an avid sportsman. He bikes for miles and loves to sail. He even teaches a nautical navigation course at Lower Canada College in the evenings. My grandfather has taught me that no matter what obstacles come our way we can overcome them and achieve anything. Most importantly he is a caring and loving person but most of all he loves his grandchildren more than the world and that’s what makes him so special to me. Here is a story that is a great example of this. My grandfather has owned a country house for twenty-five years and would love to sell it. However he decided to keep it because he knows how much his grandchildren love the house. I will always cherish my sailing moments with my grandfather in the country. I love you Grandpa!