Ultimately, Roosevelt’s father proved the best tonic for the ailing boy, holding him in his arms and carrying him upright whenever he struggled for air. WATCH: The HISTORY Channel documentary event, Theodore Roosevelt, premieres Memorial Day at 8/7c. They prescribed black coffee, cigar smoking and even ipecac to induce vomiting in the belief that food placed undue pressure on his lungs. Doctors administered electric shocks, controlled bloodletting and massages so rigorous they made the boy’s chest bleed. Roosevelt’s parents tapped into their considerable coffers to care for Teedie-although many of the Victorian-era remedies proved medically dubious. Propped up in a bed or a chair, the fragile, frightened child felt as if he was drowning as he endured endless nights wheezing and gasping for air. “I was a sickly, delicate boy, suffered much from chronic asthma, and frequently had to be taken away on trips to find a place where I could breathe,” Roosevelt recalled in his autobiography. ![]() Three-year-old Teedie suffered terrifying asthma attacks that struck without warning. ![]() Let alone dream that their young “Teedie” could one day occupy the White House, Roosevelt’s parents feared he wouldn’t survive his fourth birthday. Malnourished from a lack of appetite, the scrawny boy with a sunken chest suffered from frequent colds, coughs, nausea, headaches, cramps and fevers. Renowned for his vigor as president, Roosevelt possessed little of it as a child. Born into one of New York City’s wealthiest clans on October 27, 1858, Roosevelt was called “as sweet and pretty a young baby as I’ve ever seen” by his maternal grandmother, although his mother thought the newborn resembled a turtle. A family fortune, beloved father and determination to overcome childhood infirmities set young Theodore Roosevelt on course to become the 26th president of the United States.
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