KISSIMMEE, FLA. – Madill, Oklahoma, serves as a focal point in a recently published biography of Bert B. Cherry and his wife Darlene. Bert and Darlene’s niece, Dinah Jordan, authored their story in Defying Disability: One Couple’s Journey of Fierce Love and Unwavering Faith.
Polio struck Bert the summer after he graduated from Madill High School in 1949. Bert was the son of former Army chaplain and Madill pastor, Bert I. Cherry. The Madill Record featured Bert’s journey of recovery in its newspaper coverage.
The memoir explores Bert’s high school years in Madill and his life-altering diagnosis of polio at age 18. After recovering from the illness, Bert attended Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee for two semesters before enrolling in an Okmulgee, Oklahoma, rehabilitation center in the early 1950s. While there, he met Darlene (Fox) Streat, who was a teen mother in Arkansas when polio stole her ability to walk in 1945. The book reveals the love story that blossomed during their rehabilitation from the crippling disease.
The author weaves together their narratives from the despair of paralysis to the joy of overcoming their disabilities through love and faith in God and each other. Their love story transcends one of the most dreaded diseases of the twentieth century.
Defying Disability
One Couple’s Journey of Fierce Love and Unwavering Faith includes Bert and Darlene’s own accounts of their early lives and reveals how they overcame the physical limitations caused by polio before their encounter at a rehab facility in Oklahoma.
They married and moved to Dallas, Texas, where they raised their family and defied their disabilities throughout their lives into their eighties. Memories of their children, grandchildren, and other relatives illustrate their legacy of love and faith. Even as their health declined, their love and faith grew stronger.
About the Author
Bert and Darlene’s niece and biographer, Dinah Jordan, always admired her aunt and uncle and their ability to overcome the physical disabilities inflicted by polio. After earning her bachelor's degree in journalism from Oklahoma Baptist University, Dinah writes training documentation for a major employer in Central Florida.
Dinah wrote her debut biography during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 and 2021. She authored the book as a tribute to their inspirational lives and encouragement. The book was published in November 2021. The book is available for purchase in paperback and eBook through both Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.
For more information, visit StoriesbyDinah.squarespace.com.
“Outsiders looked at their weaknesses and predicted a short marriage. They looked at each other’s strengths and made a lifelong commitment. They learned to pool their strengths to accomplish necessary tasks.”–Dale Rowley, brother-in-law.