This Man Was Locked To a Machine for 70 YEARS & SURVIVED!!

This Man Has Lived Almost His Entire Life stuck in a Machine! Why and how? That's what we are going to discover together in today's episode! 

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Paul Alexander, 76 year-old, has lived a remarkable life that sets him apart from many others. 

For the majority of his existence, he has relied on an iron lung, making him one of the last individuals in the world to use this antiquated respiratory device that dates back to 1928.

Paul's journey with the iron lung began at the tender age of six. 

He vividly remembers running into his family's home in a suburb of Dallas, Texas, one day feeling unwell.

Despite being a normal, active child up until that point, something was clearly wrong.

His worried mother exclaimed, "Oh my God, not my son."

Following doctor's orders, Paul spent the next few days in bed, but his condition rapidly deteriorated. 

It became apparent that he had contracted polio, a highly contagious virus that can cause paralysis and death. 

Before vaccines were available for polio, over 15,000 people were paralyzed by the virus. 

In a matter of days, Paul was unable to hold anything, swallow, or breathe.

His parents rushed him to the hospital, where he was initially pronounced dead by one doctor. 

However, another doctor took a closer look and gave Paul a second chance at life. 

An emergency tracheotomy was performed, and Paul was placed inside an iron lung.

Paul's awakening three days later was disorienting. 

He found himself surrounded by rows of children in iron lungs, unable to speak due to the tracheotomy. 

The machine, known as the "Drinker respirator," was the first device to ventilate a human being, invented in the late 1920s. Sealed from the neck down, it created a negative pressure that drew air into the patient's lungs, and overpressure forced air out for exhalation.

Paul spent a grueling 18 months inside the metal canister, recovering from the initial infection. 

However, he refused to let his circumstances define his life. In 1952, the year Paul was infected, polio statistics in the US were dire, with almost 58,000 people, mainly children, contracting the virus and 3,145 dying from it.

“As far as you can see, rows and rows of iron lungs. Full of children,” he said

While some may have given up their will to live, it only fueled Paul’s will.

He would hear doctors say, ”He’s going to die today” or “He shouldn’t be alive” whenever they passed by him, and he wanted to prove them wrong.

And that’s exactly what he did!

In 1954 he was discharged from the hospital, but he quickly learned his life was drastically different than before.

Paul revealed that people didn't like him much in the past as he felt they were uncomfortable around him.

However, his life began to change for the better with the help of his therapist, Mrs. Sullivan, who visited him twice a week.

Mrs. Sullivan made a deal with Paul that if he could "frog-breathe," a technique where he traps air in his mouth by flattening his tongue and opening his throat without the iron lung for three minutes, she would get him a puppy. 

It was challenging, but Paul worked hard and within a year, he was able to spend more time outside of the iron lung.

At the age of 21, Paul achieved a significant milestone by becoming the first person to graduate from a Dallas high school with honors without physically attending class. 

He, then, set his sights on college and was accepted into Southern Methodist University after facing multiple rejections. 

However, he had to fulfill two conditions - taking the polio vaccine and having a fraternity be responsible for him.

Paul went on to graduate from Southern Methodist University and attended law school at the University of Texas at Austin. 

Despite the challenges he faced, including typing his book using a pen attached to a stick, Paul became a successful lawyer in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and had a 30-year long career in the courtroom.

Even though modern ventilators are now more advanced and sophisticated, Paul still prefers his old iron lung, which is now nearly obsolete. 

He had to make a desperate YouTube announcement when his metal lung almost broke down seven years ago, but fortunately, he was able to find spare parts from abandoned machines across the country, with help from fellow technology enthusiasts.

Paul's resilience and determination are truly inspiring. 

He has outlived his parents and older brother, and despite the challenges he has faced, he is currently working on a second book. 

He believes that he has been able to live a fulfilling life because he never gave up and always strived to achieve the dreams he dreamed.

Polio has been effectively eradicated in the United States since 1979, but vaccine-derived cases still pose a concern. 

Paul's story serves as a reminder that the only limits we have are the limits we place on ourselves. 

His courage and determination are a testament to the power of perseverance, and his story should be shared with others as an inspiration to overcome obstacles and achieve greatness.