Paul Alexander, a polio survivor, spends practically every
day of his life inside his iron lung. He cannot breathe on his own. Because of
polio, his diaphragm and body muscles were both severely damaged. As a result,
he ended up spending the rest of his life in the Iron lung. Because Paul is
paralyzed from the neck down due to polio, the Iron Lung assists him in
breathing by forcing his body to take in the air via negative pressure... He
entrusts whatever he can’t perform with his own mouth to his long-term
caregiver. However, Paul’s Iron lung has not prevented him from enjoying life to
its fullest. He has accomplished so much in his life that many able-bodied
people would never be able to in their entire lifetime. Although paralyzed, Paul
is a well-known lawyer and an author.
When asked what he does all day, Paul said that he does the exact same thing as
everyone does. He wakes up, brushes his teeth, washes his face, and eats his
breakfast. Though, he requires a little assistance to do all of this. Sometimes,
he reads, paints, or studies something. But he just despises watching
television.
He didn’t stop there, though. Paul penned his own life story, “Three Minutes For
A Dog…My Life In An Iron Lung,” totally with his mouth, using a pen hooked to a
stick. He never gave up and he says, he would never do so. He wrote this book
with the hopes of inspiring a million individuals. He claims that NO MATTER
WHERE YOU COME FROM, WHAT YOUR BACKGROUND IS, OR WHAT PROBLEMS YOU MAY BE
EXPERIENCING, YOU CAN ACHIEVE ANYTHING. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS PUT YOUR MIND TO
IT AND PUT IN THE EFFORT.
Paul’s life serves as an example to millions of people throughout the world. His
story exemplifies WHY YOUR BACKGROUND OR YOUR DISABILITIES, DOES NOT DEFINE YOUR
DESTINY, BUT YOUR PASSION, DEVOTION, AND HARD WORK DOES...