Sherolyn Rogers Jenkins is grateful for many things. Being a resident of Morgan County for every one of her seventy-one years is one of the things she holds most dear. She says that Morgan has changed dramatically since she has grown up. Staying current on what is going on in the community and following the interesting politics of Morgan is something Sherolyn likes to do.

Even though Morgan has seen many changes over the years, one thing that has not changed is the beautiful mountains which she has a sincere appreciation for and has enjoyed all of her life. Sherolyn is passionate and enthusiastic about Morgan's past, present, and future.

Sherolyn is known by many in Morgan for her amazing strength, resiliency and positive attitude. In her youth, she was stricken with one of the most dreaded diseases of the 20th century. Rather than dwelling on all that was taken from her life, she has found gratitude for all that has remained.

In the mid-1950s, a vaccine for polio began to eradicate the disease. It was shortly before that when Sherolyn received the diagnosis that would change her life forever. It would be easy to dwell on the question of why she contracted the disease instead of being spared. Rather than questioning the timing of her fate, she chooses to find every reason why this life-changing event has made her a stronger and better person.

In the history classes since the polio epidemic, students have been shown the images of children in hospitals suffering from the disease. Instead of seeing the young patients being treated in normal hospital beds, those inflicted with polio were placed in a large silver metal cylinder which covered their entire body from the neck down. Only the head was exposed at one end.

The ventilator, which is more commonly called an iron lung, was used to artificially maintain breathing in those infected with the virus. When the polio virus infects the blood stream, it effects the nervous system in the spinal cord, resulting in gradual paralysis starting at the lower extremities. When the infection reaches the diaphragm, the patient loses the ability to breath.

To see a hospital ward with many children being encapsulated in these iron lungs was common in the 1940s before the vaccine. While the Rogers family in Morgan County knew about polio and its devastating effects, they were not overly concerned about it. So, when Sherolyn started to display the symptoms, her family did not know polio is what they were facing.

Sherolyn was a very able-bodied 13 year old girl. She enjoyed sports and she remembers going to Como to swim as often as possible, sometimes daily. She was active and healthy one day and "completely out of commission the next." At her worst moment, she was paralyzed from the neck down and the only thing she could move was her left hand. After treatment and therapy, some of her strength and mobility returned and she was able to walk on crutches for many years. During the 1990s, her condition deteriorated, necessitating the move to a wheelchair.

The night that her ordeal began, she collapsed in the evening at home. Her parents were very concerned but after she appeared to be okay, they sent her to bed. Sherolyn woke in the middle of the night unable to breath and partially paralyzed. She was able to inch her way to the end of the bed and turn on the light with her foot. Her parents, awakened by the light, knew that something must be wrong. They found their young daughter struggling to breath and move. Sherolyn thought she was going to die because she could not get any air into her lungs.

Her dad helped her out of the bed and down the stairs. Sherolyn remembers not being able to control her movements as she fell into a big chair and could not lift her head. Her parents now knew that they were dealing with something very serious. They immediately called for Dr. Martineau. The doctor rushed to their home.

When Dr. Martineau arrived, he knew Sherolyn needed to be transported as quickly as possible to the hospital for emergency care. The doctor instructed the ambulance driver, "Whitey" Little to drive as fast as he could down the canyon to the Dee Hospital. The shortest distance between two points is a straight line and the curves and bends of the old canyon road certainly added to the challenge of getting her there quickly. Dr. Martineau followed behind the ambulance which carried the now delirious Sherolyn.

Before her wild ride to the hospital, her parents had called their local religious leader of their Mormon faith. Clarence Rich, who was the LDS Stake President at the time, came to administer a blessing. Her parents were very religious people and strongly believed that this was an important factor in Sherolyn's life being saved that night. When Sherolyn arrived at the hospital, her mother told her that everything would be okay now that she was there...despite the fact that Sherolyn arrived with a darkened face and black hands from the lack of oxygen.

The next thing she remembered was a sharp jab in her neck. The doctor who came to her aid had no time to lose, and he immediately cut into her throat to do a tracheotomy. The speed at which he was able perform this procedure was another factor which contributed to her life being saved. The doctor had recently returned from the battlefields of WW II where he had performed the procedure many times over on wounded soldiers.

Sherolyn remembers well the many weeks that she spent in the iron lung. The time she spent in it was captured in a picture and has been included in this story.. The photograph shows her pretty and youthful face, not looking overly distraught, but rather with a genuinely happy smile. It captures the positive attitude by which Sherolyn has come to be associated. This positivity surely added to her ability to comeback from such a difficult affliction and become such an influence for good to those with whom she has lived and labored.

Following her initial trial and then her resolve to move forward, Sherolyn finished her secondary education in the Morgan school system. She had missed an entire year of school due to her illness and was still able to graduate with her regular class.

Sherolyn's education continued at Weber State College where she was named the "friendliest girl." She then went on to receive her degree in Sociology from the University of Utah. More importantly, Sherolyn met her future husband, Larry, during this time. Before Sherolyn and Larry were married, she worked at Hill Air Force Base for several years doing various jobs.

During March of this year, the Jenkins will celebrate their forty-forth wedding anniversary. Sherolyn gave birth to, and she and Larry raised, one daughter named Sueann. Sherolyn is proud of her daughter, who, in the early 1990s, was on the squad of Utah Jazz dancers. Sueann and her husband Neal, are now the parents of Sherolyn and Larry's six grandchildren; the first two children are twins, followed by triplets, and then one more to round them out to an even half dozen.

Not only does Sherolyn have an excellent rapport with her grandchildren who visit her home often, but she also works well with the children at her church. Over the years she has taught many children, and some who are now grown still come up to her and remind Sherolyn that she used to give them rides in her wheelchair. She has a special connection to the LDS Primary Program because her ancestor, Aurelia Spencer Rogers first organized the program in 1878.

Sherolyn also has ancestors who helped to settle Morgan and this adds to her sentiment for the area. Her parents are Curtis Rogers and Thelma Dickson Rogers. Her dad was Superintendent of the California Packing Corporation which operated in Morgan for many years when they were packing peas and sauerkraut (cabbage) from the local farms. Her grandparents are John Henry Dickson and Mary Anne Elizabeth Dickson. Her grandmother was a superintendent of schools in Morgan and the first one to be honored at a graduation ceremony.

Sherolyn has an attitude of gratitude which has helped her to focus on all that she can do rather than on her limitations. She strongly believes that her religion and her faith have helped her to survive her illness and subsequently each obstacle she has faced. The challenges that Sherolyn has had could have caused her to rely more on receiving service from others, but instead she chose to live a life giving service to others. Her humility and grateful attitude surely helped her to perform all of the duties and responsibilities when she worked in the women's organization of her church. She served as the Relief Society President for nearly eight years. The Relief Society is an organization which is focused on charity and compassionate service to others.

Her confinement in an iron lung during Sherolyn's initial struggle with polio only held her captive initially. Since her recovery, she has dealt with each physical limitation with positivity and a grateful heart. She believes that through the trials she has been able to do a lot of soul-searching and to develop such attributes as perseverance and patience. Polio may have limited Sherolyn in some of her physical abilities, but her mind and spirit have been strengthened. She has set an example to many with her grace and positivity during difficult times. She is truly one of Morgan's most courageous and inspiring women.