Paul Alexander, ‘The Man in the Iron Lung,’ died at 78

Paul Alexander, known as ‘the Man in the Iron Lung,’ passed away at the age of 78. His life was a testament to resilience and courage in the face of adversity. Diagnosed with polio at a young age, Paul spent most of his life confined to an iron lung, a machine that helped him breathe. Despite his physical limitations, Paul never lost his zest for life. He became an advocate for polio awareness and worked tirelessly to raise funds for research and support for those affected by the disease.

Paul Alexander contracted polio when he was 6 years old in 1952 and quickly lost the use of most of his body. To survive, he was put into an iron lung, a machine that stimulates breathing in people who have lost the use of their respiratory muscles.

Despite the monumental setback, Alexander went on to go to college, become a lawyer with a successful practice, and even become a published author.

“The doctors told us Paul could not possibly live,” Doris Alexander, Paul’s mother, said in his autobiography. “There were a few times when the electrical power failed and then the lung had to be pumped by hand. Our neighbors would run over and help us pump it.”

Paul spent the next seven decades in an iron lung. In March 2023, he was declared the longest surviving iron lung patient in the world by the Guinness World Records.

Paul’s ambitions were not limited by his condition. He learned breathing techniques that allowed him to leave the iron lung for a few hours at a time. He graduated college, earned a law degree and went on to practice as a courtroom attorney for 30 years.

Paul Alexander knew the virus would likely be fatal if he ever became infected. It eventually claimed his life. But not before he laid claim to a life well lived. 

"The night before he died he just opened his eyes and looked at me and said, 'This is perfect,'" Philip Alexander said.    

The iron lung helped keep Paul Alexander alive longer than anyone else ever, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. 

In January, he set up a “Polio Paul” TikTok account, where he described his life accomplishments and answered questions about life in an iron lung like “How do you go to the bathroom?” and “How do you stay so positive?” At the time of his death, he had 300,000 followers and more than 4.5 million likes.

Paul was also an advocate for polio vaccination. In his first TikTok video, he said, “the millions of children not protected against polio. They have to be, before there’s another epidemic.”

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Sarah H

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