Iron lung man Paul Alexander dies at 78: Lawyer who became paralyzed after suffering from polio as a six-year-old and living in an iron lung for 70 years, dies
Paul Alexander, the man who lived in an iron lung for more than seventy years, has died at the age of 78.
a fundraising for his health care, Alexander, of Dallas, Texas, confirmed his death on Monday without providing further details.
Alexander spent an extraordinary life in the iron lung machine after contracting polio in 1952 at the age of six, leaving him paralyzed from the neck down.
Unable to breathe on his own, he relied on the machine to breathe for more than seventy years – even as new technologies became available.
But despite his physical limitations, Alexander achieved much as a published author, lawyer and avid traveler, remembered worldwide for his smile and inspiring attitude to life.
Paul Alexander died on Monday at the age of 78 after an extraordinary life from an iron lung
Paul Alexander depicted in a wheelchair in his youth. Alexander contracted polio at the age of six
Despite being on a ventilator, Alexander was able to paint and write a book
Paul will celebrate his 78th birthday on January 30, 2024 after more than 70 years in the iron lung
During an extraordinary life, Paul was able to travel, study law and write a book
Christopher Ulmer, an organizer and disability rights activist, wrote on Alexander’s GoFundMe page Tuesday: “Paul Alexander, “The Man in the Iron Lung,” passed away yesterday.
‘After surviving polio as a child, he lived in an iron lung for more than seventy years. During this time, Paul went to college, became a lawyer, and a published author.
“His story spread far and wide and positively influenced people around the world.
“Paul was an incredible role model who will still be remembered.”
During an extraordinary life, Alexander’s determination led him to achieve a number of remarkable achievements.
At age 21, he became the first person to graduate from a Dallas high school without ever attending classes in person.
He was admitted to Southern Methodist University in Dallas, after many problems with the university administration, and then went on to study law at the University of Texas, Austin.
He pursued his dreams of becoming a trial lawyer, representing clients in court wearing a three-piece suit and a modified wheelchair that kept his paralyzed body upright.
He also organized a sit-in for disability rights and published his own memoir, titled “Three Minutes for a Dog: My Life in an Iron Lung.”
The 155-page memoir was carefully drafted and took five years to complete; Paul wrote every word with a pen on a stick in his mouth.
Paul outlived both his parents, his brother and even his original iron lung, which began leaking air in 2015 but was repaired by mechanic Brady Richards, following a YouTube video of Paul pleading for help.
Near the ventilator, a large yellow metal box, patients must lie inside, with the device strapped tightly around their neck.
It works by creating a vacuum to mechanically draw oxygen into the lungs in patients whose central nervous system and respiratory function have been affected by polio.
While in hospital, doctors tried to get Paul to breathe on his own by turning off the machine and forcing him outside, but it wouldn’t be long before he turned blue and passed out.
Despite the availability of more modern ventilators, Paul decided to continue using the iron lung machine because he was used to it.
Other devices also require intensive surgery.
Throughout his life, Alexander never let the device get in the way of what he wanted to achieve: traveling on airplanes, living independently, praying in church, visiting the ocean and falling in love.
While studying, Alexander met Claire, to whom he later became engaged. He spoke candidly to The Guardian about how her mother forbade him from speaking to her daughter.
“It took years to heal from that,” he told the outlet.
Later in life, Alexander formed a close bond with Kathy Gaines, who became his caregiver – or in his words, “arms and legs.”
Gaines stepped in to help after Alexander graduated from law school and supported him for more than thirty years.
Alexander said the couple “grew together” even as Gaines himself was legally blind due to Type 1 diabetes.
Iron lungs became common in hospitals in the 1940s and 1950s as the only way to keep patients alive
After surviving polio as a child, Alexander lived in an iron lung for more than 70 years
Polio is a contagious viral disease that affects the respiratory function of the central nervous system and can cause muscle weakness and paralysis.
It is transmitted through contaminated water and food or through contact with an infected person.
It has been largely eradicated around the world after the widespread use of the vaccine that came into use in the 1950s.
Today the disease is still endemic in only four countries: Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan.