Melina
Content Warning: These stories are about violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation and may include references to suicide or self-harming behaviours. They may contain graphic descriptions and strong language and may be distressing. Some narratives may be about First Nations people who have passed away. If you need support, please see Contact & support.
Melina contracted polio in the 1950s, having moved to Australia with her family from Europe when she was five.
Melina’s chronic pain is increasing as she gets older.
‘In the last two years I have tried to find information about polio and the post effects as I have been in unrecognisable pain for ages,’ she said.
But, she told the Royal Commission, the Australian medical fraternity has little interest in understanding polio and the effects on the body and mind over time.
‘It would be so beneficial if the polio survivors could find doctors and hospital staff to inform us about what medical assistance we could have, and as a pensioner with no funds, it would be fantastic if we could have it free.’
Access to free health care is important to Melina as she has been homeless for the last three years. ‘Not an easy lot to endure,’ she says.
‘I am getting worse as the years go by and I now snore, have a sore neck and tight throat, sore leg muscles, sore right hip, a swollen and deformed right hand, mysterious pain, fatigue, brain fogginess and when summer comes again, burning sore lungs.’
She says she has told numerous doctors she had polio but ‘never once has any doctor asked about post-polio side effects’.
‘Polio is a traitor as it comes back to haunt you.’
Disclaimer: This is the story of a person who shared their personal experience with the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability through a submission or private session. The names in this story are pseudonyms. The person who shared this experience was not a witness and their account is not evidence. They did not take an oath or affirmation before providing the story. Nothing in this story constitutes a finding of the Royal Commission. Any views expressed are those of the person who shared their experience, not of the Royal Commission.