Paul Alexander led a life that was different from many others. He spent most of his life in an iron lung and was among the last persons in the world to continue using the respirator, which was first used in 1928.
He has led an extraordinarily complete life in spite of his peculiar circumstances, and he has never settled for anything less.
“I refuse to allow anyone to place restrictions on my life. Not going to do it. My life is amazing.
Paul told his mother he wasn’t feeling well when he ran inside his family’s house in a Dallas, Texas, suburb when he was just six years old. Paul had been a typical, lively, and active youngster since his birth in 1946, but something was obviously off now.
According to Paul, his mother once said, “Oh my God, not my son.”
He spent the next few days recuperating in bed as directed by the doctor, but the youngster was obviously suffering from polio and was not improving. He was unable to hold anything, swallow, or breathe less than a week after he first became ill.
At last, his parents hurried him to the hospital, where he was among the many other kids who were exhibiting the same symptoms.
Prior to the development of polio vaccinations, the virus incapacitated over 15,000 people. Even when an infected individual shows no symptoms, polio, an extremely dangerous infection, can spread.
Polio symptoms include vomiting, stiffness, muscle discomfort, fever, and exhaustion. Rarely, polio can also result in death and paralysis.
After a physician examined Paul and declared him dead, another physician examined him and gave him a second chance at life.
After the emergency tracheotomy done by the second physician, Paul was put inside an iron lung.
Three days later, he finally awoke to find himself in a line of kids with iron lungs as well.
I had no idea what had transpired. I got many visions, like if I had passed away. “Is this what death is?” I asked myself repeatedly. Is this a casket? In 2017, the Texas native said to Carol Off, host of As It Happens, “Or have I gone to some undesirable place?”
Paul, who also had a tracheotomy, was unable to talk, which added to the horror of the situation.
“I attempted to move, but I was unable to do so. Not a finger at all. I tried to figure it out by touching things, but I was never successful. Thus, it was really peculiar.
The device was the first to ventilate a human being when it was created in the late 1920s. In the beginning, it was frequently called the “Drinker respirator.” The apparatus, which is hermetically sealed from the neck down, sucks air into the patient’s lungs by creating a negative pressure in the chamber. The patient exhales if it causes overpressure, which forces the air out of the lungs once more.
Paul recovered from the original infection within the metal canister for eighteen months. And he wasn’t by himself. Statistics show that 1952, the year Paul contracted the illness, was an extremely bleak year.
The virus infected over 58,000 persons in the United States in 1952, mostly children. Regretfully, 3,145 of them perished.
There are rows and rows of iron lungs as far as the eye can see. According to The Guardian, he claimed to be “full of children.”
It just strengthened Paul’s determination to life, even when others might have given up.
Every time a doctor passed him, he would hear them say something like, “He should not be alive,” or “He’s going to die today.” He wanted to show them that they were mistaken.
And he did precisely that!
After being released from the hospital in 1954, he soon discovered that his life had changed significantly.
In a 2021 video interview, he stated, “Back then, people didn’t like me very much.” “They seemed uneasy around me,” I said.
However, his life gradually started to get better with the assistance of a therapist named Mrs. Sullivan, who came to see him twice a week. His therapist agreed to buy him a puppy if he could “frog-breathe,” which involves expanding your throat and flattening your tongue to trap air in your mouth, for three minutes without using the iron lung.
Paul was able to spend an increasing amount of time outside of the iron lung after a year of hard labor.
He became the first person to graduate with honors from a Dallas high school at the age of 21 without ever having attended classes in person. After being turned down multiple times, he finally decided to go to college and was accepted to Southern Methodist University.
He recalled, “They said I didn’t have the vaccination and was too crippled.” After I tortured them for two years, they agreed to accept me on two terms. The first is that I get the polio vaccine, and the second is that I would be looked after by a fraternity.
After graduating from Southern Methodist University, he enrolled at the University of Texas at Austin’s law school. After passing the bar, he started practicing law in the Dallas-Fort Worth region.
“I was also a pretty damn good one!”
After working in the courts for thirty years, he kept himself occupied by creating a book, which he typed by himself using a pen on a stick.
Paul is thought to have been among the final occupants of the nearly antiquated machine, according to a Gizmodo article. He spent a large portion of his life in a can and was always confined to his old iron lung.
I have taken it with me on trips and loaded it onto a truck. I lived in a dorm while attending college. Everyone was frightened by that,” he stated.
Since ventilators are now far more complex and advanced, Paul’s type of iron lung has not been produced in fifty years.
The polio survivor had access to new technology, but he preferred his metal chamber.
However, when the metal lung nearly collapsed seven years ago, the Dallas lawyer was forced to make a last-ditch YouTube announcement. Thankfully, many spare parts are still available because there are still abandoned devices scattered over the nation. Paul has also benefited from the assistance of enthusiasts who enjoy working with outdated technologies.
The outfit is a perfect fit! Come celebrate World Polio Day with us this Friday at 11:30 at Maggiano’s Northpark. Paul, our wonderful speaker…
On Wednesday, October 22, 2014, the Park Cities Rotary Club posted
Many persons who contracted polio have passed away. How was the iron lung handled? Barns are where I’ve discovered them. In garages, I discovered them. Junk shops are where I’ve found them. He responds, “Not much, but enough to scrounge [for] parts.”
Paul previously claimed that he “never gave up,” which is why he has been able to have such a happy life.
After World Polio Day, Rotarians are still in a frenzy. We can put an end to polio right now if a man with an iron lung like Paul Alexander can obtain a law degree and practice. You can do anything!
Posted on Sunday, October 26, 2014 by the Park Cities Rotary Club
He stated, “I wanted to fulfill the dreams I had and to do the things I was told I couldn’t do.”
Since 1979, polio has essentially been eradicated in the US. Nonetheless, there are occasionally polio cases linked to vaccines, which is still concerning.
Cause of death for Paul Alexander
Tragically, Paul Alexander, dubbed “The Man in the Iron Lung,” died in March 2024. His loved ones remember him for his warmth and lively nature rather than his illness, even though he spent the majority of his life inside the metal machine that supported his breathing.
In his touching recollections of their relationship, his brother Philip Alexander described Paul as a “warm, inviting individual” whose “bright smile” could instantly put people at ease.
Philip told the BBC, “He was just a regular brother to me.” “I never gave it much thought; he was just a typical brother. We fought, played, loved, partied, and went to concerts together.”
Philip also mentioned Paul’s fortitude and self-reliance despite his severe physical constraints. He praised Paul’s ability to keep control of his life while requiring help with everyday duties like eating, saying, “He was the master of his domain, helping people to help him.”
Paul was undoubtedly a role model. He overcame all obstacles to create his life, and I believe that everyone who reads this will find his story inspiring and brave.
His resolve demonstrates that the only boundaries are those we set for ourselves. To encourage others, please tell your friends and family about his experience.