Too many people give up on life when they suffer even minor setbacks.
But there are many inspiring stories of people who persevere, even with the most horrible disabilities.
Well, this man suffered for over 70 years with an incredible handicap, but he pushed on and had a productive life before revealing this is the one thing that kept him going.
Paul Alexander was put into an iron lung at the age of 6
Paul Alexander was 6 years old when he contracted polio in 1952.
The illness left him paralyzed from his neck down and impacted his motor functions.
The paralysis stopped his chest muscles from being able to contract, which made it impossible for him to breathe on his own.
Not long after his diagnosis, he was put into an iron lung in a hospital where he spent over a year and a half.
Alexander was given a tracheotomy, which made him incapable of communicating with his family.
On Christmas Eve in 1953, doctors released him to the comfort of his home expecting that he wouldn’t live much longer.
But Alexander would eventually defy expectations and live another 70 years confined to the iron lung machines.
Nothing could stop him from achieving his dreams
Alexander lived as normal a life as he could considering his circumstances.
From his iron lung, he learned to write and paint without the use of his arms.
Eventually, he learned to use a technique called “glossopharyngeal breathing” so that he could spend short amounts of time outside the iron lung.
A therapist, provided by the March of Dimes, had promised that if he could master the breathing technique, they would get him a puppy.
When he succeeded, he got the dog, and it inspired him to write a book called “Three Minutes for a Dog: My Life in an Iron Lung.”
Alexander even found a way to graduate from high school before moving on to university.
No one expected that he would earn a degree.
But in 1978, he got his bachelor’s and then in 1984, he graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in law.
After finishing college and passing the bar exam, Alexander even went onto meet the love of his life—Claire.
This is what it’s like to receive “God’s love”
Earlier this month, Alexander passed away after over 7 decades of living life on an iron lung setting a world record for time spent in the medical apparatus.
Surrounded by his family, Alexander told them about the love that carried him through life and gave him the hope to continue.
Speaking of his parents, he said, “I had a whole life lived with them, and it was amazing.”
The man said that his parents showed him what it meant to truly be blessed by God.
“I don’t believe anybody could be like that . . . I cannot believe that people exist of their quality. They loved me so much. They loved their kids,” he continued.
“You know, they talk about God’s love. That’s just words. But when you actually receive it, boy, it’s something,” he said.
Alexander encouraged everyone to recognize that there is always a “purpose” for your life.
That faith driven approach helped him to survive over 70 years when doctors had given up on him.
“If I don’t have a purpose today, I’ll create one,” he said.
Read All About It will keep you up-to-date on any developments to this ongoing story.
