(Gray News) – Paul Alexander, one of the last people to live inside an iron lung, has died, according to reports. He was 78 years old.
In 1952, when Paul Alexander was 6 years old, he contracted polio and soon lost most of his body. To survive, he was inserted into an iron lung, a machine that stimulates breathing in people who have lost the use of their respiratory muscles.
Despite massive failure, Alexander went to college, became a lawyer with a successful practice, and even became a published author.
Alexander would live more than 70 years in an iron lung.
Christopher Ulmer, a teacher and YouTuber, interviewed Alexander for his YouTube channel Special Books for Special Kids in 2022. After the interview, Ulmer started a GoFundMe campaign to help Alexander maintain his iron lung, afford his health care, and find affordable housing that meets his needs. At the time, Alexander was living in a one-room apartment with no windows, Ulmer said.
“Well, I didn’t die,” Alexander said during the interview. “God didn’t want me to die. So I kept living. And it changed all the time. but it was fun. I enjoyed a lot. I enjoyed the struggle. I enjoyed the challenges. I enjoyed the people.”
Alexander also described the technique he used to survive for hours outside a giant respirator, which involved deliberately swallowing air.
Asked whether he believed his lifelong disability was fair or unfair, Alexander replied that he never viewed it that way.
“I took it like, ‘Wow, thank God God chose me to do this,'” he said.
In March 2024, Ulmer posted an update on GoFundMe stating that Alexander died on Sunday, March 11.
“His story spread far and wide and positively impacted people around the world. Paul was an incredible role model who will be missed,” Ulmer wrote in the post.
Ulmer also delivered a message from Alexander’s brother, Philip Alexander.
“I am very grateful to everyone who donated to my brother’s fundraiser. This helped him live his last few years stress-free. With this, the expenses of his funeral will also be covered in this difficult time. It’s absolutely incredible to read all the comments and know that so many people were inspired by Paul. I’m very grateful,” said Philip Alexander.
NPR reports that at least one other person is relying on an iron lung to survive. Martha Lillard contracted polio a year after Paul Alexander.
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