Gail Saunders

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Gail Saunders
Female silhouette.png
SexF
Birth date1950
MotherIrene Saunders

Gail Saunders was a five year old Spearfish Lake resident who contracted polio in August 1955. She was treated at Sanford Memorial Hospital with artificial respiration until a "cob job" of a wooden lung was made by Brent Clark from an idea by nine year old Ryan Clark. The first version of this wooden lung required manual cycling of a flap to provide a breathing cycle, operated for a number of hours by Garth Matson.FK16 A refinement by Ryan Clark using his Erector set automated the flap cycle.FK17 Gail spent over a month in this respirator before she could breathe by herself.FK21

She never totally recovered and could only walk with crutches or other support.FK21

She graduated high school as valedictorian and Garth Matson paid for her to go to college. She returned to Spearfish Lake to teach at the high school until post-polio syndrome forced her to give up in her fifties. Her replacement was Nicole Szczerowski.FK21 DW64

Gail married Jerry GleasonFK21 and they had two children, Marcy and John, and three grandchildren in middle or high school in 2015.FK1