Author Jo D'Antonio, Guest Speaker

Guest speaker, Josephine M. D'Antonio is an author and polio eradication advocate.  Never vaccinated for polio, Josephine contracted the disease at age 4 and underwent four surgeries before age eleven to correct the debilitating effects of polio.  She now lives with the after effects of the disease, known as Post-Polio Syndrome.  PPS is a condition that affects polio survivors 10-40 years after the initial paralytic attack of the polio virus.  After learning that polio still exists in Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan, Josephine became alarmed and decided to try to "help out" so that no one else would have to suffer what she had.  Knowing that all it takes is one dose of the vaccine to prevent the disease, Jo declared that "one person CAN make a difference.

Jo has written a children's book, The Snowbirds and the Empty Nest.  She is donating the profits for her book sales to the World Health Organization for the purchase of vaccine to help eradicate Polio in Africa.  You can find her book on Amazon.com:  http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=The-Snowbirds-Empty-Nest&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3AThe-Snowbirds-Empty-Nest