Paul Alexander, the man who lived in an “iron lung” for 72 years, has died

He was known to be confined in a large iron tube. American Paul Alexander of Dallas has died at age 78 after spending 72 years in an “iron lung” due to polio.

Suffering from poliomyelitis (or infantile paralysis) since 1952, he became paralyzed from the neck down after contracting the virus and was forced to live in a breathing tube. Taken to hospital at age 6 after developing symptoms of paralysis and shortness of breath, he woke up in an “iron lung”, a device he would never lift. This device, no longer manufactured for many years, acts as a diaphragm to help him breathe.

Poliomyelitis is a highly contagious viral disease that mainly affects children under 5 years of age. The virus invades the nervous system and can cause paralysis or death in the most severe cases. Polio is spread from person to person, mainly through the faecal-oral route, but it can also be carried through contaminated water or food, the WHO clarifies. Although polio is an incurable disease, since the late 1950s it has been possible to prevent it thanks to a vaccine. Since then, this infection has become very rare in countries such as France or the United States.

“Polio took everything away from me”

In 1952, the disease everyone feared was at its peak in the United States, and Paul Alexander was one of many children who were able to breathe into an iron lung. “I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t swallow. Polio took everything from me, literally everything,” he explained in a podcast during which he flashed back to the beginning of his illness. Despite his severe disability, he did not give up on his dreams and subsequently obtained a law degree, became a lawyer and wrote books translated around the world.

Although he recently contracted Covid-19, the cause of his death is yet to be officially known. His relatives suggested at a fundraiser organized to help him that he was “exploited by people who were supposed to have his best interests at heart”, before referring to “theft” which would have left him with little money to escape.

“Paul was a wonderful model who will always be remembered” wrote the organizer of this prize pool, without failing to recall that “his story travels around the world”.