Paul Alexander.Photo:GoFundMe
GoFundMe
A man known for living his life in an iron lung for over 70 years after contracting polio as a child has died.
On February 26, Alexander’s social media manager shared in aTikTok videothat Alexander had been “rushed to the emergency” room after testing positive for COVID-19 the previous week. He noted that was “really, really dangerous” for someone “in his condition.”
Stock photo of nurses attending to a room full of patients in iron lungs.Everett/Shutterstock
Everett/Shutterstock
“Fortunately they have an iron lung out in the hospital just for him and he was able to come home this weekend, but unfortunately, he’s still kind of weak,” he continued. “He’s got some confusion still going around. He’s been struggling to eat and hydrate, so for that reason we’ll be holding off on the videos for a little bit longer.”
He captioned the video, “Please keep Paul in your thoughts and prayers ❤️🙏.”
Alexander, who is from Texas, contracted polio in 1952 at the age of 6 and was paralyzed from the neck down, perThe Independent. After being hospitalized, he woke up and found himself inside of an iron lung, which is a respirator that works a person’s diaphragm.
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Stock image of an iron lung.Iron lung (c. 1933) used to breathe for polio patients until 1955 when polio vaccine became available is located in the Mobile Medical Museum, Mobile, Alabama (
Iron lung (c. 1933) used to breathe for polio patients until 1955 when polio vaccine became available is located in the Mobile Medical Museum, Mobile, Alabama (
Alexander also went on to graduate from a high school in Dallas at the age of 21, becoming the first person to do so without physically attending class, and was later accepted into the University of Texas at Austin where he studied law, per the outlet.
Alexander graduated with his law degree and became a lawyer in Dallas and Fort Worth, while using a modified wheelchair that held his body upright, to attend court room sessions. He also became a published author.
As he grew older, Alexander became confined to using the iron lung again full-time, and had several health problems, including a respiratory infection and pain in his legs every time they moved, perThe Guardian.
In January, he began sharing his story online onTikTokwith people who were curious about his life. He answered questions about how he got his law degree and about living in an iron lung. In one of his videos he said that he still had some “goals and dreams” to accomplish.
“Paul, you will be missed but always remembered,” Ulmer wrote. “Thanks for sharing your story with us.”
source: people.com
