Francis Ford Coppola recounts his challenging journey as a polio survivor

Renowned filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola vividly recalls his battle with polio. In a discussion with Deadline about his latest project, “Megalopolis,” Coppola shared memories of being diagnosed with polio at the tender age of 9. The illness struck swiftly. “Polio is a fever that grips you for just one night,” Coppola explained. “The sickness itself is brief. However, the devastating consequences—such as paralysis or the need for an iron lung—stem from that single feverish night," he recounted. "I vividly remember that feverish night. They rushed me to a hospital ward packed with children. Gurneys were stacked three or four high in the corridors due to the sheer number of kids."

Polio primarily targets children under 5, often leading to irreversible paralysis or death. Highly contagious, it lacks a cure but can be prevented through vaccination, as noted by WHO. The 1955 introduction and widespread distribution of a vaccine significantly curbed the disease. Yet, recent vaccine hesitancy raises concerns about potential polio resurgence.

Now at 85, Coppola painted a stark portrait of his time in the polio ward. "I recall the iron lung patients, their faces reflected in mirrors, crying out for their parents. They didn’t grasp why they were encased in metal chambers," he said. "I felt more terror for those children than for myself, since I wasn’t confined in one of those devices."

Iron lungs, as they were called, were respirators aiding polio sufferers with breathing. Coppola struggled significantly. "I looked around, attempted to rise, and collapsed. I realized I couldn’t walk," he detailed. "I remained in that ward for about ten days until my parents could finally bring me home."

Coppola credits his father, composer Carmine Coppola, for his recovery. His father relentlessly pursued treatments for him. He also lauded the vaccine pioneers. “Dr. Jonas Salk and Dr. Albert Sabin, who developed the polio vaccines, generously relinquished their patents to the public. Unlike today's practices where companies hold them,” Coppola observed. “Witnessing polio vanish, knowing the countless lives saved during an escalating epidemic, makes current vaccine skepticism seem utterly irrational.