In 1953, after years of effort on the part of founder Harry Gregg, Dr. Ezra Jones, Sceva Speare and many advisors and donors, Crotched Mountain Children’s Center opened. Later renamed Crotched Mountain Rehabilitation Center, the 40-bed clinic, built to provide rehabilitation and treatment to children with polio was quickly filled to capacity, serving 159 children in its first two years of operation. The center, which also served children with muscular dystrophy and cerebral palsy, quickly earned the respect of national leaders in the rehabilitation field including renowned pediatric rehabilitation expert, Dr. George Deaver, who held monthly clinics at Crotched Mountain.
Gladi Hartford was born with Familiar Myelitis, a hereditary walking disorder, and was an occasional patient at Crotched Mountain from 1958 to 1968. Her note below frist appear in the 2013 Annual Report of Crotched Mountain Foundation.
In June 1958, my mom brought me to Crotched Mountain to meet with a room full of doctors.
I was immediately placed in full length braces from the waist down and I was put in a wheelchair. I took off exploring in the chair and had never before experienced such freedom. I went down the corridor and saw my mom was sitting on a bench waiting for me to return. I am sure she could see that I was having a great time.
She told me she was leaving, but that I was going to stay so I could learn to walk. I said okay and left. It was very fun until bedtime and then I missed my mom and the tears came, but everyone was wonderful with me. The next morning I felt like I had been there forever.
I was at Crotched Mountain on and off over the next ten years. I would spend summers there and some school vacations, too. I had a best friend there named Glee Lyford.
We had great times together. No matter what we did during the day, I never liked nap time. I’d complain I wasn’t tired, but would be asleep the minute my head hit the pillow. I liked to help out, too. I learned sign language from the children at the School for the Deaf and would interpret for them.
Other times, I’d lie down with the younger children in the evening until they went to sleep.
–Gladi Hartford
