Paul Alexander, polio survivor who lived in Iron Lung for 70 years, dies aged 78
Paul Alexander, who has died aged 78, was paralyzed by polio at age 6 and relied on the machine to breathe. He nevertheless managed to earn a law degree, write a book and, later in life, build a following on TikTok.
In a 2018 interview, Alexander called the iron lung, a machine that helped him breathe, "my friend" and “my enemy.”CreditCredit...Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News, via APAfter being paralyzed by polio at age 6 , Paul Alexander was confined for much of his life in a yellow iron lung that kept him alive. He was not expected to survive after this diagnosis, and even when he exceeded all these prognoses, his life was limited mainly by a machine in which he could not move.
But the consequences of living in an iron lung due to polio did not stop Mr. Alexander from going to college, earning a law degree and practicing law for over 30 years. As a child, he learned to breathe for minutes, then hours, but he had to use the machine every day of his life.
He died on Monday. at 78, according to a statement from his brother, Philip Alexander, on social media.
He was one of the last people in the United States to live in a iron lung. , which works by rhythmically changing the air pressure in the chamber to force air into and out of the lungs. And in the last weeks of his life, he gained followers on TikTok by sharing what it was like to live for so long with the help of an antiquated machine.
It was unclear what exactly caused Mr. Alexander's death. He was briefly hospitalized with the coronavirus in February, according to his TikTok account. After returning home, Mr Alexander struggled to eat and hydrate as he recovered from the virus, which attacks the lungs and can be particularly dangerous for those who are older and have breathing problems.< /p>
Mr. Alexander contracted polio in 1952, according to his book "Three Minutes for a Dog: My Life in an Iron Lung." He was quickly paralyzed, and doctors at Parkland Hospital in Dallas placed him in an iron lung so he could breathe.
“One day , I opened my eyes after a deep sleep. and I looked around for something, anything, familiar,” Mr. Alexander said in his book, which he wrote by putting a pen or pencil in his mouth. “Everywhere I looked it was very strange. Little did I know that with each new day, my life was inevitably set on a path that would become incredibly strange and more difficult. »
@ironlungman Episode 1 of Convos with Paul! We'll be answering comments and questions about Paul's life, his polio, and living in an iron lung! Please be positive
Paul Alexander, who has died aged 78, was paralyzed by polio at age 6 and relied on the machine to breathe. He nevertheless managed to earn a law degree, write a book and, later in life, build a following on TikTok.
In a 2018 interview, Alexander called the iron lung, a machine that helped him breathe, "my friend" and “my enemy.”CreditCredit...Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News, via APAfter being paralyzed by polio at age 6 , Paul Alexander was confined for much of his life in a yellow iron lung that kept him alive. He was not expected to survive after this diagnosis, and even when he exceeded all these prognoses, his life was limited mainly by a machine in which he could not move.
But the consequences of living in an iron lung due to polio did not stop Mr. Alexander from going to college, earning a law degree and practicing law for over 30 years. As a child, he learned to breathe for minutes, then hours, but he had to use the machine every day of his life.
He died on Monday. at 78, according to a statement from his brother, Philip Alexander, on social media.
He was one of the last people in the United States to live in a iron lung. , which works by rhythmically changing the air pressure in the chamber to force air into and out of the lungs. And in the last weeks of his life, he gained followers on TikTok by sharing what it was like to live for so long with the help of an antiquated machine.
It was unclear what exactly caused Mr. Alexander's death. He was briefly hospitalized with the coronavirus in February, according to his TikTok account. After returning home, Mr Alexander struggled to eat and hydrate as he recovered from the virus, which attacks the lungs and can be particularly dangerous for those who are older and have breathing problems.< /p>
Mr. Alexander contracted polio in 1952, according to his book "Three Minutes for a Dog: My Life in an Iron Lung." He was quickly paralyzed, and doctors at Parkland Hospital in Dallas placed him in an iron lung so he could breathe.
“One day , I opened my eyes after a deep sleep. and I looked around for something, anything, familiar,” Mr. Alexander said in his book, which he wrote by putting a pen or pencil in his mouth. “Everywhere I looked it was very strange. Little did I know that with each new day, my life was inevitably set on a path that would become incredibly strange and more difficult. »
@ironlungman Episode 1 of Convos with Paul! We'll be answering comments and questions about Paul's life, his polio, and living in an iron lung! Please be positiveWhat's Your Reaction?
