Land and Sea

In Newfoundland and Labrador today it's very rare to hear of someone diagnosed with tuberculosis. But it's quite common to hear of someone who had it. TB attacked and killed people in this province long after the rest of the western world had it under control.

By the early 1950's, it had killed 30,000 Newfoundlanders......and in the space of only 50 years. Nfld was behind the rest of the world due to its isolated outports, its poor standard of living, and lack of proper medical attention. When it was at its worst, the average age of those who died from TB was only 33. They were fishermen and loggers who were in the prime of their lives and young mothers who would leave behind several children.

Against the backdrop of that terrible disease, there are many stories of personal victories; stories of people who spent months and sometimes years in the sanatorium in Corner Brook or the one in St. John's.

Producer Fred Greening caught up with some of them, and tells their stories.