One of the last people to live inside an “iron lung” has recently joined TikTok and uses the platform to share fascinating insights into his very unique story.
The paralysis is typically temporary, but around one in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis. Alexander was one of those unfortunate few and was left unable to move his body from the neck down.
While the lungs of paralyzed
Alexander has remained inside the iron lung for over 70 years. He can temporarily leave the machine’s confines for two or three minutes thanks to a self-learned technique he calls “frog breathing”, which involves gulping down mouthfuls of air using his throat muscles to force air into his lungs. However, this is not a long-term solution and he spends the overwhelming majority of his day inside the mechanical chamber.
It’s thought he’s just
However, scientists have since developed less-invasive ventilation systems, plus vaccines have done an incredible job at reducing polio rates globally (despite some
The iron lung hasn’t stopped Alexander from achieving some amazing things. He studied law at the University of Texas and, in 1984, he passed the bar to become a lawyer. He also spent five years writing an autobiography – Three Minutes for a Dog: My Life in an Iron Lung – by typing into a computer using a pencil placed in his mouth.
In his latest venture, Alexander has joined TikTok with the user name