Paul Alexander lived most of his life in an iron lung.
Wednesday 13 March at 21:57
The Texas man was only six years old when he was infected during the polio epidemic in the 1950s, and was paralyzed from the neck down. Since then, Paul Alexander has spent over 70 years in the iron lung, which has helped him breathe.
On Monday, he died in a hospital in Dallas, aged 78. His brother Philip writes that on Facebook.
In recent years, Alexander has received millions of views on TikTok, where he has told about his life in the iron lung. He also finished high school, became a lawyer and has traveled to all the world‘s continents while he was in the iron lung, writes his brother.
Paul Alexander, “the man in the iron lung” is dead. Photo: AP
The iron lung is the oldest form of respirator available, and was already used in the 1930s. The pressure tank uses the air already in the room, and pressure is pumped in and out to help the lungs breathe.
One of Paul Alexander’s friends tells the AP news agency that he loved to laugh and was a “bright star” in this world.