Elizabeth Kenny — the girl whose unlikely treatment helped people with polio

Fierce Girls

ABC listen

Kids & Family, Stories For Kids

4.4 • 930 Ratings

🗓️ 9 July 2023

⏱️ 7 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Elizabeth Kenny grew up in a time when women were rarely educated, so naturally, she trained herself to be a nurse. When her patients with polio were struggling with the pain of their treatment, she thought outside the box and came up with a new way to help them – The Kenny Method. Doctors saw her as an outsider, but Elizabeth stuck to her guns and eased the pain of people in need.

Written and narrated by nine-year-old Josie Davies.

Transcript

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0:00.0	ABC Listen.
0:02.0	This is a story of the girl powers.
0:08.0	This is a story of the girl who's unlikely treatment helped peace with polio.
0:12.0	Elizabeth Kenny, written by me. who's unlikely treatment helped peace with polio.
0:13.0	Elizabeth Kenny, written by me, nine-year-old Josie Davies.
0:17.2	Elizabeth rides her horse through the bush like she does every day.
0:27.0	Everyone says she's a bit of a trom boy.
0:30.0	She hates wearing dresses and is always coming home with mudseans on her clothes. She would much rather be out there
0:34.0	be out there exploring and learning new things than doing up people expected of girls.
0:41.0	On this ride, she's feeling particularly adventurous. She speeds up faster,
0:47.0	faster until she goes flying from her horse.
0:52.0	Ouch!
0:54.0	She grabs her arm.
0:56.0	Her wrist is broken.
0:58.0	And to make matters worse, she's more than 300 kilometers from medical help.
1:02.0	And the alley... 300 kilometers from medical help.
1:09.0	In the early 1900s, in country New South Wales, where Elizabeth lives, getting to a doctor is very difficult and expensive.
1:12.0	And her family isn't very rich.
1:15.0	Her father is a farmer from Ireland and while he's busy farming her mom teaches
1:20.5	Elizabeth and homeschool. This is at a time when not many girls got an education.
1:26.7	Elizabeth has to travel to a hospital into Lumber. It's a long painful trip by a horse and sulky and train.
1:34.0	She must stay into Wumber for many weeks recovering,
	...

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