A man who suffered from the effects of polio was forced to live inside an iron lung machine and has been doing so for the past six decades.
In one of the world's most exceptional cases, Paul Alexander AKA 'The Man in the Iron Lung', has been living inside a machine that aids his breathing after contracting the poliovirus when he was just six years old.
In the following five days after contracting the life-threatening disease, his existence changed completely.
As per a detailed feature by The Guardian, it was reported that Paul was playing outside of his home in Dallas, Texas when his head started pounding.
Upon a quick inspection, his mom sent him straight to bed to rest but it wasn't long before his condition worsened until he got to the point where he could hardly move, swallow or cough.
His mom took him to the doctors where healthcare professionals concluded that they could not save the little boy, but after one doctor re-analyzed him and rushed him to the theatre to perform "an emergency tracheotomy to suction out the congestion in his lungs" he was given a slim chance of living - though he could not breathe on his own anymore.
While Paul eventually recovered from the polio infection, his body remained paralyzed from the neck down and after 18 months, he was allowed to go home.
Speaking during a documentary about his condition, he said: "People didn't like me very much back then, I felt like they were uncomfortable around me."
When asked what he did all day being confined to the machine, AKA his "old iron horse", he responded: "Well, the same thing everybody else does. I woke up, brushed my teeth, washed my face, shaved, and had some breakfast.
"I just needed a little bit of help," he added.
"I would read, or study something, paint a picture, or do some drawing. I hated just watching TV."
Paul had a tough time getting accepted into college, but with his dreams of becoming a lawyer hanging in the balance, he managed to persuade the establishment to let him in. They stated that he could study if only he gets the polio vaccination and remains under the watchful eye of a fraternity, to which he accepted.
Amazingly, he went on to pass all of his Bar exams and became a qualified lawyer.
Not only that, but he also went on to write a book with his mouth, in the hopes that it would provide people with inspiration to persevere through hardships.
Speaking of his motivation to write, he said: "No matter where you're from or what your past is, or the challenges that you could be facing, you can truly do anything. You've just got to set your mind to it and work hard."
"My story is an example of why your past or even disability does not have to define your future," he added.
According to the World Health Organization, "wild poliovirus cases have decreased by over 99% since 1988, from an estimated 350,000 cases in more than 125 endemic countries to six reported cases in 2021. Of the three strains of wild poliovirus (type 1, type 2 and type 3), wild poliovirus type 2 was eradicated in 1999 and wild poliovirus type 3 was eradicated in 2020" though the disease still remains a threat to those who have not been vaccinated.
