A Polio Survivor's Story In The Iron Lung

Look around you. Indeed,   we won't fully understand the significance of something until we are unable to do it.  Inhale deeply and exhale slowly. If you can breathe on your own, it is a good reason to be grateful and inspired to fulfil your dreams and aspirations. Because someone out there might be having difficulty doing that.

Today, I  will tell the story of Paul Alexander, who was forced to stay inside the iron cylinder for him to be able to breathe. You'll also be aware of what an iron cylinder is and how Paul got inside of it. Are you ready? Then, let’s get this started!  Paul Alexander was the only patient who remained in the ward for more than 18 months. His body,   from neck to foot, was enclosed in a metal cylinder. There were hundreds of other confined children who were screaming in agony but were unable to speak in the large, noisy ward he was in. He couldn’t do anything to help them.

He could only watch how each time a child passed away,   another child would replace them in that cylinder. They could go home if they were able to recover. Paul, however, was unable to leave the cylinder. Even the nurses anticipated that he would pass away in the coming hours. But  Paul has ambitions. He wanted to become a lawyer,   and the only way for him to fulfil his dream of becoming a lawyer is to get out of that cylinder.  But the question is: how did  Paul end up in that cylinder? 

Before Paul was put in the iron cylinder, he was just a typical six-year-old, living in Dallas,   Texas. The worst polio outbreak in American history occurred in 1952. There were about 60,000   cases, more than 3000 of which were deadly, and more than 20,000 of which led to some sort of incapacity. Along with hundreds of other young people, Paul was one of those who acquired the paralytic poliomyelitis virus, in the summer of that same year. Swimming pools, cafes, and bowling alleys were shut down as a result. The insecticide  DDT was sprayed on the streets to prevent the virus from spreading. No one was permitted to attend school. Nobody made phone calls because they thought the virus might spread via cables.  They refrain from speaking to their friends and neighbours out of fear of contracting the virus. Three years would pass before a vaccine became accessible. Nobody at the time was aware that polio may only enter a child's body through the mouth mucous membrane.

Paul was also ignorant of that. In the sweltering heat of that summer, he only wanted to chill under the anticipated rain.  However, he felt a severe headache and neck pain.   He returned home and stayed in bed for five days before experiencing more serious symptoms, such as losing the ability to breathe, walk, or swallow. Why did that happen? The virus had already spread into his central nervous system, which caused his respiratory muscles' vital cells to die.   These cells are crucial for muscular function and strength. When he couldn’t breathe on his own,   that's where the cylinder came in, which is called the Iron Lung. Iron Lung is a   technology that uses negative pressure to assist the patient in breathing.

It works by drawing air into the patient's lungs whenever the bellows push air into the cylinder. The patient's lungs are pushed to exhale the air as the pressure changes. But they couldn’t use it forever.   Only recovery or death will allow you to leave the machine. But the interesting thing about   Paul’s story is that he managed to escape the cylinder but was neither dead nor recovered.  Paul's lungs and the rest of his body were paralyzed. However, he couldn’t stay in the hospital as long as he wanted. He must return home. However, given his reliance on the Iron   Lung, how could he? His parents decided to bring the machine into their house.

They find it difficult whenever there is a power outage because they have to manually pump the machine, frequently seeking assistance from neighbours. Paul would try to hold his breath whenever he needed to take a   bath. Most of the time, he can’t hold his breath for too long, and he would fall unconscious.  While Paul disliked doctors, he felt at ease around Mrs Sullivan,   a therapist. She was the one who introduced  Paul to the alternate breathing technique known as glossopharyngeal breathing, sometimes known as frog breathing, which involves purposefully squeezing air into the mouth and throat cavity and forcing it downward with the use of the tongue.   His sole opportunity to avoid relying on the cylinder was through this technique.  

Paul had to learn frog breathing to be able to breathe independently, especially since he wanted to go to school and become a lawyer. Mrs Sullivan negotiated with Paul:   she would give him a puppy if he could breathe for three minutes without the Iron Lung but through the frog breathing technique. Paul agreed to take on the challenge. He had no idea that it was also his means of mastering the technique. Will Paul succeed? In the meantime, Paul's mother looked for a chance for her son to complete his education even at home, even though it was uncommon in the 1950s. For Paul to be able to write and turn book pages, his father invented a   T-shaped device.

Paul received a grade of As when he graduated from high school in 1967. He only received one D, and it was in Biology class for his inability to dissect a rat. Paul got Ginger,   a dog, on his graduation. That simply implies that he succeeded in Mrs Sullivan’s challenge of frog breathing. As a result, he was finally able to escape the cylinder and even move around the yard. Paul decided to go after his goal of becoming a lawyer.  

He wanted to travel and perhaps even fall in love. However, it is not so simple, especially since   Paul would not be accepted by any law school worldwide. His inability, not his academic performance, is the issue. For persons with physical disabilities like Paul back then,   there simply weren't any facilities. Paul,  though, would go to any lengths to study law.   For two years, he kept calling the dean until he got the response he was looking for.   Paul had to fulfil two requirements to enrol in the school: first, he needed someone to help him attend his classes, and second, he needed to receive the polio vaccine. Because polio had not yet been eradicated,  mass vaccination was required.

The disease frightened Americans just as much as they feared the Soviet hydrogen bomb. Paul has fulfilled the requirements and finally became a law student. Paul continued to go to the Iron Lung every night,   but he was still happy. He can go to theatres and clubs during the day. He could also go to the sea.   The best part is that he fell in love with a woman named Claire. They decided to get married. But   Claire's mother called off the wedding. Claire's  mother didn’t want her daughter to marry Paul,   who she described as “a grown-up man with a body  that is similar to an eight-year-old child.”  

Even though Paul was used to doing everything to achieve what he wanted,   he chose to let go of Claire this time. He didn't want to make Claire's life more difficult.   Paul then decided to leave Dallas. He changed schools and enrolled at the University of Texas at Austin. Paul hired a caregiver who could help him and brought his Iron Lung to the campus. But the caregiver didn’t arrive at the campus for no reason. Because of this,   Paul was cared for by university staff members until he found another caregiver. Paul was still reliant on the machine even though he can breathe on his own for a few hours. He continued to use the Iron Lung.

But all of his efforts paid off when he finally earned his degree,   appeared in court one day dressed in a suit, and won his case. Yes, Paul was able to achieve his dream. Paul was able to work and live freely.  However, the Iron Lung malfunctioned one day.   The primary cause of the machine malfunction was an air leak brought on by cylinder seals that were already damaged. Paul couldn’t replace it with any of the advanced technology since only the Iron Lung produces negative pressure. Paul's lungs have deteriorated, therefore the positive pressure found in all modern equipment won't help. What do you think Paul will do this time? He does utilize YouTube. In a video message, he discussed his damaged Iron Lung. He was fortunate to find a mechanic who agreed to manually create the required components.

This is because no components were available. After all, the machine had been out of production for a long time.  Paul is currently 74 years old. Even though he still depends on the Iron Lung and will for the rest of his life, his sacrifices and efforts were known to the world. He is a genuine hero who serves as an inspiration for all those who are struggling. He even wrote the book "Three Minutes   For A Dog," which served as an inspiration to countless others throughout the globe. And in doing so, he would never be forgotten.

What do you think about this?