Believe! Not in Santa Claus but in Polio Eradication!
By: Nancy Hawes, SPCE RC
Nubble Light in York
Ed Galkin, Peter Teahen, Brenda Cressey, Dick Cressey
Believe! – Not in Santa Claus or in the Polar Express, but that we will eradicate polio!
That has been the message that Iowa Rotarian Peter Teahen, along with New Jersey Rotarian Ed Galkin have been spreading as they flew around the Atlantic Ocean. District 7780 was their last stop before heading home, and they spoke to District 7780 Rotarians whose schedules were able to accommodate the last-minute date change. Past Foundation trustee Brenda Cressey welcomed the pilots and reminded us that when we hear about “cases” that each case is a child who has been afflicted with polio.
You would probably never guess from the photo but Ed is 89 ½ years old and holds a record as the oldest pilot to fly around the world (he’s done it 4 times for other nonprofits!).
And he added 2 new records on this trip – oldest pilot to fly east across the Atlantic and then flying west across the Atlantic. They also set a speed record on this trip as the fastest flight between the Azores and Newfoundland. (However, they hold the record because they’re the only ones who have ever bothered to formally record a speed between the Azores and Newfoundland!)
This was Peter’s second flight to raise funds and awareness for polio eradication and we heard about his ordeal on the first trip. He was hospitalized three times with an illness that was undiagnosed for quite a while and his family and friends, fearing for his life, were pleading with him to come home. But he believed in the mission and he stuck with it. He gave a lot of credit to the Fellowship of Flying Rotarians who checked on him every day when he was in the hospital.
At Portsmouth Welcome Peter Teahen & Ed Galkin
Peter described the two of them as “carnival hawkers” who will talk to anyone and everyone about polio. After the trip around the world, they spoke at 156 events telling their story and urging people to support the campaign to eradicate polio. A pivotal story that Peter always tells is about being asked in an interview in Pakistan whether he hoped that polio would be eradicated. He said no, he doesn’t have hope that it will be eradicated. But then he went on to tell his stunned audience that he BELIEVES that polio will be eradicated.
I highly recommend hearing the pilots speak about their travels firsthand – they are available to speak to clubs and other events – click on the tab for “Invite the pilots to speak to your group” on their Flight to End Polio website.