Ramesh Ferris- The $3 Vaccine That Would Have Changed My Life | What's Your IQ Podcast EP 42

Nancy Barbee sits down with Ramesh Ferris, polio survivor and immediate past governor of Rotary District 5370, for a conversation about what it means to live with a preventable disease — and to spend your life making sure no other child has to. From looking his birth mother in the eyes in Coimbatore to hand-cycling 7,140 km across Canada, Ramesh brings the same fierce, can-do determination his parents instilled in him on an icy Yukon sidewalk. Together, they explore why the last mile of polio eradication is the hardest — and why, as Ramesh puts it, "a country truly isn't polio-free until the world's polio-free." In this episode, you'll learn: -Why polio isn't "one and done" — the signs of post-polio syndrome, and why many doctors miss it -How Ramesh talks to vaccine-hesitant parents, and why he always wears shorts when he does -Why a case of polio anywhere is a threat to children everywhere -How the polio effort became a blueprint for fighting other diseases — from Ebola and COVID-19 to Zika and yellow fever -How Rotarians have contributed $3 billion and helped vaccinate 3 billion children — and why every dollar still counts -How sharing your own connection to polio can move your community and your government leaders Highlights: 0:00 Welcome & Guest Introduction 1:37 Born in India, Almost Turned Away by Canada: The Yukon's First International Adoption 4:49 "Polio Isn't One and Done": Post-Polio Syndrome & the Doctors Who've Never Seen It 10:02 Connecting the Dots: A Disability That Came From Poverty 11:37 A Bishop's Family of Six & "He Can Do It and He Will Do It" 15:55 Finding Lakshmi: Meeting His Birth Mother in Coimbatore 25:24 Why Ramesh Always Wears Shorts: What He Tells Vaccine-Hesitant Parents 29:56 $1.9 Billion in Abu Dhabi & the First Rotarian to Lead the GPEI's Oversight Board 31:53 Nancy in Karachi: The Sri Lankan Family Who Said No Twice 34:10 What It'll Take to Finish the Job 39:39 "Please Stand Up": Why Every Polio Story Matters 42:54 7,140 km by Hand Cycle, Global Citizen & World Leaders 46:04 "It Can Be Lonely": A Survivor's Thank-You & Jonas Salk's Final Word ========================= About Ramesh Ferris Polio Survivor | Immediate Past Governor, Rotary District 5370 (2025-26) | Past End Polio Now Coordinator, Rotary Zone 28 | Founder, Cycle to Walk (2008) | Inductee, Canada's Disability Hall of Fame | Rotary Club of Whitehorse Rendezvous Follow Ramesh Ferris: Instagram:   / rameshferris   YouTube:    / @rameshend-polioferris5014   LinkedIn:   / ramesh-ferris-724388171   ========================= About Nancy Barbee Author of Every Year Since | Podcast Host, What's Your IQ? Let's Talk About Your Impact Quotient | Motivational Speaker | Town Commissioner, Pollocksville, NC | 30 Years in Education Follow Nancy Barbee: Instagram:   / nancybarbeebooks   LinkedIn:   / nancybarbee   Website: https://www.everyyearsince.com/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4bXrvNA... ========================= About What's Your IQ? What's Your IQ?: Impact Quotient — is dedicated to exploring what it truly means to live a life of impact. Each conversation goes beyond the highlight reel to find the moment a person's purpose clicked and what they did with it. Subscribe to never miss an episode.