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Paul Richard Alexander (January 30, 1946 – March 11, 2024) was an American paralytic polio survivor, lawyer and writer. The last man to live in an iron lung, he contracted polio in 1952 at the age of six.
Paul Alexander was six years old when he woke, terrified, to find himself inside a large metal tube, with only his head sticking out. He couldn't move to feel what was trapping him,...
- Paul Alexander Contracts Polio and Starts His New Life in An Iron Lung
- The Man in The Iron Lung Pursues His Education
- Paul Alexander’s Inspiring Life in His Final Years
- The Death of Paul Alexander
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Young Paul Alexander’s life changed on a sweltering July day in Texas in 1952. Pools were closed, as were movie theaters and almost all other public gathering spots. The polio epidemicraged as people sheltered in place, terrified of the new sickness with no cure. Alexander was playing outside with his brother when he suddenly felt ill and went into...
Alexander made friends once he was out of the hospital and able to leave the iron lung for longer periods, and on some afternoons, they pushed him around the neighborhood in his wheelchair. However, during the day, those friends were all busy at the one place where he desperately wanted to be: school. His mother had already taught him the basics of...
By the time he reached his 70s, Paul Alexander began to rely almost exclusively on his iron lung to breathe. “It’s exhausting,” he told The Dallas Morning Newsof his frog breathing technique in 2018. “People think I’m chewing gum. I’ve developed it into an art.” Still, Alexander outlived both his parents and his brother. He even outlived his origin...
Paul Alexander’s life was changed by one disease. And his death was brought about by another. In 2024, he contracted COVID-19 at the age of 78. At the end of February 2024, Alexander tested positive for the coronavirus. In a TikTok video, his social media manager explained that he had been “rushed to the emergency” room and the disease was “really,...
Paul Alexander was a polio survivor who lived in an iron lung for 72 years and became a lawyer, author, and social media star. Learn how he overcame the odds, pursued his education, and inspired millions with his story.
Mar 13, 2024 · Paul Alexander, who died at 78, was paralyzed with polio at age 6 and relied on the machine to breathe. Still, he was able to earn a law degree, write a book and, late in life, build a following...
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Paul Alexander: 'Man in the iron lung' dies at the age of 78. 13 March 2024. Ido Vock and Cat Snowdon. BBC News. GoFundMe. The polio survivor known as "the man in the iron lung" has...
Mar 14, 2024 · Paul Alexander, who lived inside an iron lung for over 70 years and defied expectations by becoming a lawyer and author, died Monday afternoon at the age of 78, according to his brother Philip ...
Mar 14, 2024 · Paul Alexander survived polio as a child and lived inside an iron lung for 70 years. He became a lawyer, a published author and an inspiration to many people around the world.
