Paul Alexander was born in 1946 in Texas. When he was six years old, he was stricken with polio. After several months in the hospital, he was sent home. His doctors didn’t feel that he could survive much longer but felt that his last days should be spent with his family in his home. A truck was used to move him since he needed to remain in the iron lung, which was keeping him alive.
Paul’s will to live was stronger than his body. A caregiver taught him to gulp air into his lungs so that he could reduce his dependence on his iron lung. At first, he could only independently breathe for minutes at a time. The promise of a puppy if he could breathe for 3 minutes was all it took to change his life. He got his puppy and a fulfilling life.
Paul continued to live by staying positive. He was one of the first students to be homeschooled and ended up graduating second in his high school class. He had never actually entered a high school classroom. Following high school was college, where he studied economics and finance and eventually graduated from law school.
With advances in technology, there was hope that he could shed himself of the iron lung for less onerous ventilators. Unfortunately, his chest muscles had become so weakened that he needed to remain in the iron lung.
Through his will to live and his religious faith, Paul could be outside of the iron lung for up to six hours. A new challenge was the repair and maintenance of the iron lung. They are no longer made and spare parts are virtually non-existent. But that didn’t stop Paul.
He wanted to share his message of hope with others. He wrote a book called Three Minutes for a Dog to inspire others with physical challenges. He also posted a video on TikTok. When he passed away at age 78, his TikTok account had over 330,000 followers. He was the last person who still needed an iron lung.
Paul was given little chance to live at the age of 6, but he continued to live for another 72 years. It was a combination of faith, a positive spirit, cheerfulness, and hope that gave him a full life. And we can’t ignore his wish for a puppy. Paul Alexander’s life is a lesson for our times. We need to look inside ourselves for the drive to live a full life. And that begins by rejecting grievances directed toward others who we blame for our challenges. Faith and hope are essential for a full life. Bitterness and grievance are the toxins that are life-destroying.
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“Once you choose hope, anything is possible.” – Christopher Reeve (actor and paraplegic)