 FDR developed the disease at the exceptionally unusual age of 39. It is not entirely clear when and where he caught polio. The effects became apparent during the summer of 1921 when he was visiting the family's cottage in New Brunswick, Canada. Over the course of several days, the future president developed lower back pain and weaknesses in the legs, as well as an extreme skin sensitivity. It also highlights John F. Kennedy saying that most of us think of JFK as a hale and hearty New England sporting sort.