Man who spent 70 years inside an iron lung dies
Paul Alexander, who spent the past seven decades in an iron lung and defied expectations by becoming an author and a lawyer, died on Monday aged 78 at a Dallas hospital in Texas, United States (US). Paul's death was officially announced on Tuesday on his GoFundMe page, set up to help pay for his health care and housing. Here's what we know about the longest-surviving iron lung patient.
Paul's life inside iron lung
Born in 1946, Paul contracted polio during the peak of America's polio epidemic at the age of six in 1952. The illness left him paralyzed from the neck down and unable to breathe independently. Consequently, he was placed in an iron lung, a large metal device that aids breathing by altering air-pressure. Polio, or Poliomyelitis, is a life-threatening disease triggered by the poliovirus. While the virus can spread from person-to-person, it can contaminate an individual's spinal cord and cause paralysis.
Overcoming limitations and achieving success
Despite his circumstances, Paul mastered breathing techniques that enabled him to exit the iron lung for several hours at a time. The 78-year-old completed college, obtained a law degree, and worked as a courtroom attorney for three decades. He also self-published his autobiography, "Three Minutes for a Dog: My Life in an Iron Lung," which chronicled his quest to breathe unaided for at least three minutes.
Know about Paul's Guinness world record
After spending nearly 70 years in the breathing contraption, Paul was declared the longest-surviving iron lung patient in the world by Guinness World Records in March 2023. In January, Alexander set up a "Polio Paul" TikTok account and talked about his life inside an iron lung. At the time of his demise, Paul reportedly had 300,000 followers and more than 4.5 million likes.
Paul's brother reacts to his death
Confirming his death, Paul's brother Philip released an emotional statement on the 78-year-old's GoFundMe page. "It is absolutely incredible to read all the comments and know that so many people were inspired by Paul. I am just so grateful," he stated. While the exact cause of Paul's death is currently unclear, Philip revealed that his brother was admitted to the hospital three weeks ago due to a Covid-19 infection.
