The disease poliomyelitis, commonly referred to as polio, is extremely contagious and spreads from person to person.
Although there had been knowledge of this illness for thousands of years, children were frequently
infected at an early age and became immune as new-borns.
Significant epidemics started in Europe and the United States in the late 19th century and persisted until the 1950s, when a vaccine was developed.
More severe instances will result in paralysis, but most children infected with the poliovirus recover after a few weeks and may need physical treatment.
Death may ensue from paralysis that affects the respiratory muscles.
However, one Texas child was committed to overcoming the challenges.
Outbreak of Polio.
On January 10, 1946, Paul Richard Alexander was born in Dallas, Texas. He shared a home with his parents, Nick, and Phil, his two brothers.
There was a polio outbreak in the Dallas area in the summer of 1952, which caused a great deal of fear among parents attempting to shield their kids.
Despite the fact that it was summer break, very few children were out in groups taking advantage of the nice weather, making the streets appear nearly empty. In July 1952, Paul was six years old.
He was playing on the suburban family home’s front lawn one day. Paul, though, sensed that something wasn’t right.
He walked into the kitchen to tell his mother that his head and neck hurt.
The mother recognized the boy’s illness as soon as she saw him.
Paul was told to stay in bed since he had a high fever.
When Paul’s limbs began to hurt, his parents called the family physician, who promptly determined that Paul had polio.
The hospitals were crowded, though, so they were told to keep their son at home.
They were told by the doctor that Paul would heal on his own.
But Paul was feeling worse five days later.
The parents disregarded the doctor’s advice and proceeded straight to Parkland Hospital because their son was unable to swallow or speak.
The hospital was filled with sick children as was to be expected, and there weren’t enough nurses and physicians to care for everyone.
Paul’s mother was informed during the initial assessment that her kid would not survive because they arrived too late.
Paul was assessed by a different doctor who saw him in the corridor before hurriedly taking him to the operating room for a tracheotomy to clear his airways.
Paul woke up three days later with a vinyl hood over his head. He was unable to cough, move, or speak.
All he could hear was the sound of a machine surrounding his whole body. After a nurse took off the vinyl hood, Paul was able to see numerous kids surrounding him.
Every one of them had iron lungs.
An Iron Lung: What Is It?
A massive cylinder known as the “iron lung” was developed to assist individuals who are unable to operate their breathing muscles.
It’s a negative pressure ventilator that uses air pressure cycling to promote breathing. Such cycles encourage exaltation and inhaling.
Although the device was developed in the 1920s to treat coal gas poisoning, it wasn’t until the 1950s that it started to be used more regularly to aid children during polio outbreaks.
Many lives have been saved and polio sufferers have recovered because to iron lungs.
However, some people—Paul included—ended up requiring the iron lung for the rest of their lives.
Acquiring Breathing Skills Paul experienced tension throughout his hospital stay since he could constantly hear medical professionals discussing Paul’s situation with one another.
It amazed them all that he was still alive.
He was unable to communicate or give instructions to get clean.
There was no way for the kids to communicate.
However, his parents made sure their son didn’t feel alone by being in the hospital every day.
Paul spent eighteen months in Parkland Hospital.
Despite losing control over his breathing muscles and being paralyzed from the neck down, he stayed committed to his recuperation.
Sure, there were difficult days, no doubt, but he could not get off the idea that one day he would go home. And on Christmas Eve of 1953, his desire was realized.
In actuality, the physicians permitted him to remain with his family since they believed he would pass quite shortly.
Paul had a large iron lung, so there was no way he could use the family car.
Rather, his parents hired a truck that had a portable generator in it. Paul began eating healthier and, surprisingly, put on weight.
He was happier and more upbeat. In case there was a blackout, his parents watched him carefully at night. The Alexander family received a call from a physical therapist from the March of Dimes in 1954.
Paul recalled how he would occasionally take a deep breath and push air down his throat when Mrs. Sullivan started working with him twice a week.
It was identified as glossopharyngeal breathing, and the pair investigated that method.
Paul was given a three-minute challenge by her to learn how to breathe outside of the iron lung. He would win the boy a puppy if he was successful.
After a year, Paul eventually succeeded and was awarded a small puppy that he named Ginger as his gift.
He kept practicing the breathing method, and soon he was able to leave the machine inside and go outside into the yard. Maintaining Your Education Paul’s mother chose to teach him to read because she wanted her son to receive a solid education.
The summer before his first grade, he was ill and was unable to go to school.
Unfortunately, impaired kids who choose to learn from home were not accepted into the educational system.
