A Child of Sanitariums: A Memoir of Tuberculosis Survival and Lifelong Disability

This dramatic memoir recounts one woman’s experience with skeletal tuberculosis, which she contracted at the age of five in the 1930s. It recounts her next nine years living in tuberculosis sanatoriums where she underwent many treatments for the disease and was finally released when she was 14. Despite her subsequent disablement, she went on to marry and have three children, work as a micro-biologist, perform as a comedienne, and serve as an advocate for minority groups. By turns deeply affecting and hilarious, this memoir provides a glimpse into a still-dangerous disease and is a testament to the power of human perseverance and hope.

Gloria Paris, a retired microbiologist, is a comedienne and an advocate for the disabled. She writes poetry, paints, and lives in Seneca Falls, New York.