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Paul Alexander, polio survivor who spent over 70 years in iron lung, dead at 78
Alexander spent more than 70 years living in a metal chamber to help him breathe after he contracted polio in the 1950s
By Michael Dorgan Fox News
Published March 13, 2024 9:09am EDT

Paul Alexander, known as "the man in the iron lung," having spent most of his life living inside a metal chamber that helped him breathe, has died aged 78, a fundraiser for his health care confirmed Tuesday.

Alexander, of Dallas, Texas, contracted polio in the summer of 1952 when he was 6 years old, leaving him paralyzed from the neck down.

He was forced to live inside the chamber for the rest of his extraordinary life, yet was known for his positive and graceful attitude.
Paul Alexander smiles while lying in his iron lung chamber

Paul Alexander, known as "the man in the iron lung," has died aged 78, a fundraiser for his health care confirmed Tuesday. (GoFundMe)

"In this time Paul went to college, became a lawyer, and a published author," wrote Christopher Ulmer, who created a GoFundMe page for Alexander to help finance his health care needs.

"His story traveled wide and far, positively influencing people around the world. Paul was an incredible role model that will continue to be remembered."

At 21, Alexander became the first person to graduate from a high school in Dallas without ever attending class in person, reports the Daily Mail.

He pursued his dreams of becoming a trial lawyer and represented clients in court in a three-piece suit and a modified wheelchair that held his paralyzed body upright.

He also staged a sit-in for disability rights and published a 155-page memoir, "Three Minutes for a Dog: My Life in an Iron Lung," which took five years to complete. Alexander wrote each word with a pen attached to a stick in his mouth, the Daily Mail reports.

Alexander has been recognized by Guinness World Records as the person who has spent the longest amount of time living in an iron lung.

In an interview with Reuters before his death, Alexander said: "My story is an example of why your past or even your disability does not have to define your future."
Students and a doctor examiner and iron ling

The ventilator, a large yellow metal chamber, required Alexander to lie his entire body down inside with just his head exposed outside.

Air pressure is continuously cycled up and down to stimulate breathing. People who have contracted polio typically need iron lungs, as do those who have become paralyzed due to poisons.

Ulmer wrote that the GoFundMe was set up after Alexander had been "taken advantage of by people who were supposed to care for his best interests." Although the page did not go into further detail.

"This theft, combined with the high cost of health care, has left Paul with little money to survive," Ulmer wrote.

"He struggles to maintain his iron lung, afford health care, and find housing that accommodates his needs," Ulmer wrote before Alexander’s death.

Ulmer said Paul had been living in a small one-room apartment that did not have a window.
A model inside an iron lung machine

Alexander’s brother, Philip, said the fundraiser, which raised more than $143,000, helped him live out his final years.

"I am so [grateful] to everybody who donated to my brother’s fundraiser. It allowed him to live his last few years stress-free," Paul was quoted as saying on the GoFundMe page.

"It will also pay for his funeral during this difficult time. It is absolutely incredible to read all the comments and know that so many people were inspired by Paul. I am just so grateful."

Stories like that make you realize you only thought you had problems….

Boy is that the truth. I remember when I was little EVERYONE was terrified of polio.

Okay, while we’re on the subject of vaccinations.
I and everyone in my age group has a small vaccination scar on their arm below the shoulder.
Younger people don’t.
Is that from the polio vaccine used in the 60s and 70s of it it something else used at that time?
I don’t know much about medicine, other than having The Old Man hit me with merthiolade or a couple small stitches, I have pretty much stayed away from doctors if possible.😀
Just curious if anyone knows.
Reon

What a story. A horrible way to live for 70 years.

Thank God for that vaccine, my mom rushed us down to the health clinic and all 4 of us ate that damn sugar cube.

The was from the smallpox vaccine, but not everyone has the scar. I, for one, dont have it and I've been vaccinated for smallpox 2 times.

When a nurse in school didn't see the scar, even though my medical records showed I had taken the vaccine, they vaccinated me again. Same nurse came back the next year and didn't see the scar and was gonna vaccinate me again. I told her to look at my records and she discovered she was the one that had given me the vaccine the year before.