Mr. Paul Alexander, who became paralyzed at the age of 6, has refused to leave his iron lung after 7 decades because he has become too accustomed to it.
Mr. Paul Alexander, from Texas, contracted polio in 1952. In March, the Guinness World Records recognized this 77-year-old man as the longest-living patient in an iron lung to date.
According to the NY Post, Mr. Alexander has faced numerous hardships since his birth in 1946. At the age of 6, he endured the worst polio outbreak in American history, with nearly 58,000 cases, primarily affecting children.
Mr. Paul Alexander earned the nickname “Paul the Polio”. (Photo: Dallas Morning News)
Polio attacks motor neurons in the spinal cord, disrupting communication between the central nervous system and muscles, ultimately weakening them to the point where a person can no longer breathe independently.
In 1955, a life-saving vaccine was approved and widely used for children across the United States. By 1979, the U.S. declared polio eradicated, but it was too late for Alexander, who had been paralyzed from the neck down.
Immediately after being diagnosed with polio, Alexander underwent an emergency tracheostomy and was placed in an iron lung, also known as a respirator, to help his body fight the deadly disease. Since then, he has relied on it for survival.
Alexander’s machine was invented in 1928 and has not been produced since the late 1960s, as technology advanced.
According to Medscape, the iron lung is a negative pressure ventilator that covers everything except the head, pulling oxygen through negative pressure, forcing the lungs to expand so that the patient can breathe. This bulky device weighs about 600 pounds and requires the user to be tightly secured inside.
Despite the advent of more modern mechanical inventions, Alexander prefers to continue living in his iron lung.
The 77-year-old man explained to the Guardian in 2020 that by the time newer machines were developed, he had become too accustomed to his “old iron horse.”
Alexander is said to have refused to have another hole cut in his throat to accommodate newer breathing devices. He also learned to breathe briefly outside the iron lung. Known as “frog breathing”, this technique uses throat muscles to push air through the vocal cords, allowing the patient to swallow small gulps of oxygen, pushing it down the throat and into the lungs.
In addition to learning to breathe independently for short periods, Alexander has continued to pursue his career dreams and inspire others. He graduated from high school, earned a college degree, obtained a law degree, practiced law for several decades, and wrote a memoir—all while living in his iron lung.
In a 2021 video interview, Alexander stated, “I have never given up and will not give up.”
As he grows older, Alexander has found himself needing to remain in this device and requires around-the-clock care at a facility in Dallas.
“He is still fighting to maintain his iron lung, paying for healthcare and seeking housing that meets his needs. Paul lives in a small one-room apartment with no windows,” read a call for support on the GoFundMe page in November 2022. “Thank you for caring about a man who has helped so many throughout his life.”
