Polio Place

John & Maggie Prestwich

This site includes photographs, essays, and articles by and about John and Maggie Prestwich, Hertfordshire, England. John contracted bulbar polio during the week of his 17th birthday in 1955. He was completely paralysed below his chin and entirely dependent 24 hours of the day on artificial ventilation to keep him alive. Requiring 24-hour-a-day care, John spent the first 16 years after contracting polio in the hospital. In 1971, John and Maggie were married and went to live in their own home. John was a tireless fundraiser and activist for disability rights.