Paul Alexander Lives Iron Creation (@musclesandnursing)
A man who lived in an iron cage for more than 65 years told why he was forbidden to marry his first love and how, against all odds, he still found love.
At the age of 6, Paul Alexander contracted polio, an infectious disease that causes paralysis.
He was rushed to the hospital and underwent tracheostomy - an emergency operation in which a hole is made in the trachea and a tube is inserted there connecting it with the outside air.
Since he became paralyzed from the neck down and his diaphragm failed to function, he was left encased in an iron lung - a ventilator that helps him breathe.
Paul is actually among the last people alive today in an iron creation.
He was recognized by the Guinness Book of Records as the person who spent the longest period of time in his life in iron creation.
More than 65 years later, at the age of 77, Paul spoke openly about life on the ventilator and its effect on his romantic relationships.
Despite his condition - he found love (Photo: screenshot, Mitch Summers/ YouTube)
After graduating high school in 1967 at the age of 21, Paul went to study at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.
During his studies at university, Paul met a woman named Claire to whom he eventually became engaged.
However, Claire's mother disapproved of their relationship due to Paul's condition.
One day Paul called Claire and her mother answered on the other end of the line, forbidding him to marry her daughter and speak to her again.
Paul told the Guardian: "It took me years to recover from that."
He is not alone
Who will save the woman who has lived for 68 years inside an "iron lung"?
To the full article
This is what his life looks like
Since Claire, Paul may not have married, but his relationship with a woman named Cathy Gaines is the closest he has to marriage, according to his brother Phil.
Cathy became Paul's nanny—or his "hands and feet"—after he graduated from law school.
Kathy, who has cared for Paul for over 30 years, is legally blind as a result of her type 1 diabetes - yet she visited Paul every day during his five months in hospital in 2019 and continues to follow him wherever he goes.
His brother noted: "Paul was always aggressive about things he wanted and needed around other people. He's quite demanding. However, Cathy is more demanding than him. There were difficult moments between them, but they always resolved them."
More rare medical cases,
crazy or genius?
The surgeon who operated on himself 3 times
"he was more ape than man": the sad story of the boy who grew up with a cash register
Paul told News Rebeat: "You can do anything, regardless of your origins, your background or the challenges you may face. You just have to put your heart to it and work hard... My story is an example that your past and even the obstacles Your elders should not define your future."
health
news
Tags
lungs
polio