It's a vicious disease that weakens the bones so much a cough can break a rib, a misstep can break a leg.
Few people survive more than four years.
In many ways, it's been a public journey. As World War II ended, the Italians began to enjoy a renewed sense of prosperity. Pictured on the front porch steps of their Detroit home are, from left, Grace Mazzola, her sister Marianne and mother Josephine and grandmother Marietta Spagnolo. It is one of those rare workplaces where employees can peer into the eyes of the boss and see their own. After he first fell ill, the Italian patriarch stayed home and watched television.