DANNY
I found a story for all of you — one that I didn’t know. I was searching the net for Edith Gureasko (our beloved Aunt Dedee as we pronounced it).
I found the link below to a scanned newspaper — the Toronto Blade from
August 14, 1916.
There is a picture of Aunt Edy, and a story:
Girl cripple gives blood to save plague sufferer.
“A pretty 19 year old girl from Brooklyn … ”
Amazing what you can find on the Internet. What Plague was there at that
time — and why in Toronto?
Anyone want to follow up on this.
love
danny
JON
The “plague” referred to was almost certainly polio; the “summer plague”
or “infantile paralysis”. There was a major outbreak of it in 1916 and everyone was in a panic. It also holds with using Aunt Dedee’s blood to make serum, since she was a polio survivor.
University of Toronto had a fledgling vaccine research program [thanks, Google]. So that may have been why she gave blood in Toronto.
Jon
DEBORAH
Just thought I’d add my two cents in response to my dad’s email.
The article is actually in the Toledo Blade not Toronto, though why it was reported in Toledo is still a good question.
There were two epidemics going on in 1916. The first, most likely reference, is the polio epidemic–officially declared 2 months prior to the article in June of that year with its origin in Brooklyn.
At the time scientists and doctors did not know that viruses existed. They had only recently figured out about bacteria and perfected serum therapies (immunizations). That is probably the “serum: she was donating her blood for. I assume she was crippled due to Infantile Paralysis aka Poliomyelitis aka Polio.
The other possible, but unlikely, plague that they may be referring to is the precursor to what is now called the 1918-19 pandemic influenza or Spanish Flu.
My money is on Polio due to the fact that the paper was published in summer, when polio is normally spread, and the fact that Edith is from Brooklyn where the 1916 epidemic started.
Here is a very interesting article about the 1916 Polio outbreak.
http://www.businessweek.com/chapter/gould.htm
-Deborah
JAMIE
This is all so interesting. I haven’t thought about Aunt Dedee in years, and it brings back the warmest feelings to me to think of her! And she must have died went I was still very little. I remember the thrill of getting to ride on her lap in her wheelchair at my grandparents on Hubbard Avenue. But I don’t remember how she is related. Was she a cousin or aunt to Hilda, Ruth, Marty and Joan? Why did we call her “Aunt” ?
Very cool family lore and also a little history lesson as well.
Thanks,
Jamie
CHICK
Aunt Edie was Hilda, Ruth, Marty, Joan’s Aunt. Or technically my great-aunt. And your great-great-aunt, Jamie. I believe she was the nest to the youngest of the preceding generation. Despite polio she was self-sufficient. She was a dress-maker with a devoted following. She lived in Brooklyn and in the 30’s at least owned and drove a car that was fitted out with hand controls to compensate for her polio.
MICHAEL
she was the greatest – her unqualified love and great sense of humor made her the natural heart of the family. she never saw herself as handicapped.
after louis gureasko died, sundays were spent at her apartment on eastern parkway where many in the family would congregate (smoking up a storm- chesterfields i recall)- and partaking in a deli spread that rivalled any bar mitzvah’s. always much laughter- a special occasion was when uncle marty came back from wwII and we all celebrated at her home
she was fiercely independent and drove a 1948 chevrolet coupe with hand controls. she would drive around the country as often as once a year with uncle marty visiting all there relatives. in 1958 i bought the car from her for $100 and with friends drove around the country for the summer.
we last saw her in 1966 when we- iris and beth- moved to california and stopped in miami beach to see her. uncle marty was living with her at that time and she was in a late stage of cancer. til the end she was always encouraging to anyone she knew.
i stayed at her apartment once when i was a teen and found out that she wrote poetry daily- encouraged me to try it or if not that find something i could love for a lifetime.
erica was named after her.