European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 14, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Four decade in an Iron King has not dimmed the spirit of Dianne Odell or her Mother Geneva. Occasionally in a wheelchair. She could move her left confined in body free in spirit by Woody Baird the associated press after 41 years Diane Odell a memories of a Normal life have faded away. Quot i remember walking to a ballgame with daddy Quot she says Quot and i remember being on a train. It seems like f can remember playing out in the mud one  it All happened so Long ago a before her body became a useless vessel. She was 3 when what was thought to be a cold turned out to be polio and for the past 41 years her life in Jackson tenn., has been ruled by an Iron lung. But do not pity Dianne Odell. Quot i be had a very Good life filled with love and family and Faith you can make life Good or you can make it bad Quot she says. Quot i often wonder what kind of person i would be had i not been handicapped Quot she said. Quot i have a lot of friends who Call with their problems and say i cheer them up a Little bit. I like being that kind of person but i might not have been Quot the 7-foot-Long Respirator encases her twisted body creating a vacuum that forces air into her lungs. Pinned in the 750-Pound Metal tube she can move Only her head and facial Muscles. But the warmth of a Loving family has softened the Irons grip. Quot we re All very close Quot said her Mother. Geneva who is As tied to the lung As her daughter. A a in be always told Dianne you make your own happiness. Quot an avid Reader. Diane Odell tutors one to two school children in her Home each year. �?�1 like the Little ones the Best Quot she said. Quot they re fascinated by the Iron lung they think everything i say is  lying on her Bock she talks with visitors by looking in a Mirror and operates a Telephone tape deck and to by blowing into a Small tube. With a tape recorder and Volunteer scribes she is writing a children a Book about a Blind boy who makes wishes on a Distant Star. Who else could see a Star that can to be seen but a. Child who can t see. He sees it with his heart. I m trying to gel across that yes people Are going to Call you names and not play with you because you re different. But you can still accomplish  the Respirator is turned off a few minutes at a time for Basic nursing care. In the Early years she could breathe on her own for two to three hours a Day. She would attend Church then and go outside foot. Quot Mother would put me on a pallet outside and i would play with the other kids in the neighbourhood. I would build Little castles with my foot in the dirt. Quot Diane Odell a parents insisted on making their daughter s life As Normal As possible. The House was open to youngsters and Sisters Donna and Mary were encouraged to Host teen age sleep overs. Quot most of the kids grew up thinking everyone had a Friend in a Iron lung Quot Odell said. Quot i have the same friends today that i had when i was 10 years old. When they married their husbands became my friends i tutored their children. There was no big difference really a Home bound teachers and an intercom system to a nearby school allowed her to earn a High school diploma. She lived with Jamily friends for a while in Hopes of earning a degree in social work at freed Hardeman College in nearby Henderson. But failing health and the confines of the Respirator ended those plans. The College awarded her an honorary degree in 1987 it hangs beside the Respirator. Iron lungs were once common for polio victims and some 500 to 800 Are still in use around the country. Many Iron lung users do not require them 24 hours a Day however and Small portable equipment is More common now. Odell said her family is looking into the possibility of getting a smaller Respirator if her health and limited finances allow it. Life in an Iron lung rarely lasts four decades said or. Robert Christopher a polio specialist at the University of Tennessee. Unable to cough such patients choke easily or develop pneumonia. Quot i have to assume this woman has had wonderful care from her family. Unless someone was watching her very carefully she could not have lived As Long As she has a Christopher said. Or. Walton Harrison a paediatrician who has treated Odell most of her life said she is often in pain from inflamed joints and a twisted spine. Quot she has been an inspiration to me Ever since i be been seeing her. In be never heard her complain about her life a Harrison said. Quot when i first saw her As a child i Felt she would not live to be an  there is much More to her life than survival. Churchgoers have occasionally celebrated the Sabbath at her House holidays parties have been frequent and halloween trick or Treater Are invited in to show off their costumes. Odell has dressed up too. Quot i was a package of lifesavers one year. I was a yellow submarine one year and once i was a spaceship Quot she said. Sundays Are for visits from uncles aunts and cousins. Her Sisters have four sons a Quot my boys Quot she Calls them. Quot the Little ones use the Respirator like a Jungle gym. They come up and give me head hugs and kisses Quot she said she has drawn on her indomitable attitude to counsel handicapped children her greatest loss is not having a husband and children of her own. Quot children done task anything but that you love them. Even if you can t reach out and touch them they know you  readers action Linea Afes defends bicycle markup of a Cannondale Mountain bikes Are Lor Sale at cafes sports stores i saw them at Heidelberg and Robinson Barracks at what appear to be tremendous markups Over the list Price reported in the March �?~91 Issue of bicycling Magazine. Model cafes list markup se800 $1,395 not ? mentioned se1000 $1,595 $1,200 $400 se2000 $1,895 $1,600 $300 please ask cafes to explain. Gary Bueschel Schwet Zingen Germany sgt. Maj. Michel j. Bolduc he cafes Europe replies i apologize for the delay in responding to your question but we wanted to speak to the editor of bicycling Magazine and obtain a copy of the March edition before answering your question. Actually the last paragraph of the article you refer to explains Many of the reasons Why prices vary Quot the prices listed Are estimates from the manufacturers. Several cautions apply Here these were provided late last year. The wholesale Price of components has increased at least once since then and the value of the Dollar against foreign currencies continues to fluctuate. Also dealers in different parts of the country face different costs so prices vary by Region As Well. Prices Are included to show the relative positions of models and  i should also Point out one other reason Tor the Price difference cafes normally buys Cannondale bikes from Cannon Dulc Usa but last March they  meet our demand. We turned to Cannondale Europe at that time and bought 1e series Cannondale built for the european Market. The bikes Are the same As the . Be version and Are made in the United states but More expensive. Consequently we did reduce our markup on these bikes to offset the added Cost to our customers. To write us readers action line is the readers Quot court of last resort Quot striving to answer some of the questions about life overseas in a military environment or questions about policies and guidelines when other avenues for answers Are not readily available. If you have a question and Don t know where to turn for the answer write to readers action line co the Siars and stripes Apo 09211-4211. All letters must 13 signed and preference will be Given to those seeking information of general interest to our readers a the stars and stripes monday october 14, 1991