Exposure to the dreadful Spanish flu lowered his resistance, and he fell victim to rheumatoid arthritis, which locked his joints so that his body was contorted into the shape of his wheelchair.
עקב כך, נפל קרבן לדלקת ־ פרקים שהקשיחה את פרקיו ועיוותה את גופו לצורה של כיסא ־ הגלגלים בו ישב.