Paul Alexander, “The Man in the Iron Lung”, has passed away aged at age 78 after leading an incredible and inspiring life.
Alexander, affectionately known as
“I am so grateful to everybody who donated to my brother’s fundraiser,” said Philip, Alexander’s brother, according to the update.
“It allowed him to live his last few years stress-free. 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,” he added.
On February 27, a
It’s thought that Alexander was just
He contracted polio at the age of six in the summer of 1952 when an outbreak swept through his hometown of Dallas, Texas. It would be
Polio is an infectious disease caused by a virus that can spread from person to person. In some cases, the pathogen can attack the central nervous system and destroy motor neurons, leading to paralysis. The paralysis is typically temporary, but around one in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis. Alexander was one of those unfortunate few and was left unable to move his body from the neck down.
While the lungs of paralyzed
Alexander more-or-less lived the past 70 years inside the iron lung. He was able leave the chamber for two or three minutes thanks to a self-learned technique he called “frog breathing”, which involved gulping down mouthfuls of air using his throat muscles to force air into his lungs. However, this was not a long-term solution and he spent the overwhelming majority of his day laying horizontally inside the mechanical chamber.
Despite his difficulties, Alexander studied law at the University of Texas and, in 1984, he passed the bar to become a lawyer. He also spent five years writing an autobiography – Three Minutes for a Dog: My Life in an Iron Lung – by typing into a computer using a pencil placed in his mouth.
In his last venture,
“Paul, you will be missed but always remembered. Thanks for sharing your story with us,” his GoFundMe page reads.