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ssssrj 1 it 80 and counting polio sufferer offers fresh outlook on life weekederiftylbjerjlbjcj by bruce stapley he sits on the living room floor of his speciallydesigned bunga low near hwy 48 and bloomington rd in stouffville diminutive legs curledup beneath him he reaches out to shake my hand as i enter immediately im hit by two simultaneous thoughts the first is a reminder never to take for granted the simple ability to walk the second is that here is a man who has come through life severe ly handicapped yet still has about him a look of vibrancy and vitality seldom found in persons without an affliction when an epidemic of infantile paralysis swept the stouffville- markham area in 1910 fred cook was its first victim in fact cook was the first known canadian to contract the disorder it was later called polio it was strange he recalls but it seemed to follow the direc tion of the stream that flowed past our property the other people we knew who got it lived near the same waterway it was never concluded that the creek flowing past cooks family home on the 9th cone of mar kham had anything to do with the man charged with incest police arrested a 32yearold man of no fixed address last fri day at an apple creek blvd address and charged him with sexual assault and incest according to police reports a 10yearold girl was sexually abused between april and may of this year the mans name is being with held to protect the identity of the jewelry taken a quantity of jewelry and cash valued at 1500 was stolen from a harvest moon dr home last wednesday said police a door was forced open during the breakin causing an esti mated 150 in damage outbreak of polio in the area however when cooks sister mary came down with it they concluded something other than chance was involved today he lives in a home that was designed to meet his needs he shares the residence with his sister and her husband polio affected her much less severely than her brother she walks normally but for cook movement has al ways been a struggle although he never let it get the better of him i remember as a child having a wagon in which to move around id climb in and push myself with my hands he said when it came time for me to attend school id get into the wagon and my brothers and sisters would pull me to ringwood in fact thats still the way i get around his fondest memory of school centres around his first place fin ish in the 1924 stouffville district rural school fair boys public speaking contest to this day he retains the handsome silver trophy from an early age cook was determined to get out and earn a living like everyone else when he moved to brooklyn in 1929 the womens institute presented him with a wheelchair that he prop elled with special mechanical levers he promptly proceeded to take to the streets where he hustled familex products consisting of spices perfumes and cosmetics later with his earnings he purchased a model t ford and upgraded his marketing thrust added items now included cards and seeds in 1950 he joined the staff of a gravel company and was placed in charge of the weigh scales he remained there until his retire ment in 1979 i put in some long hours he recalls but i wanted to be able to retire with enough to live on in those days there was no disabilty pension even if there had been id have still worked anyway i wanted to make it on my own cook still drives his van is equipped with a hydraulic lift and hand controls he keeps an elec tric wheelchair in the back for use when hes visiting i dont want to become depen dent on the thing he said if i did id probably never get out of it he enjoys maintaining his prop erty he cuts the large lawn using a garden tractor he also has a small vegetable garden he admits to being hooked on soap operas and his recipe for success in hiding his 80 years is simple ive never smoked or drank and i like keeping busy he holds wheelchair athlete rick hanson in high regard i dont know how he did it he says with amazement it was something i could never have done- not even 40 years ago well maybe he responds given his resolve its certain hed have given it a good shot dorwin enterprises specializing in door window inserts why not letthe sunshine in by utilizing your existing steel door we will install a selfsealing thermal pane window of your choice from a variety of available styles and shapes just a few samples it fissa 3- f j- j- h1 existing door b06 or bll or bis we offer prompt professional installation easy payment terms for your free inhome estimate please call dorwin enterprises 8313933or2845864 w 7 pardon our dust i