Paul Alexander, who went by “Iron Lung Man” and “Polio Paul” online, has passed away at the age of 78 after spending the majority of his life inside an iron lung.
Alexander contracted polio at the age of six, with the disease paralyzing him from the waist down and necessitating the use of the iron lung. Not letting that prevent him from living his life to the fullest, he went on to graduate from law school, write a memoir and even enjoyed painting, which he would do by holding the brush in his mouth. In addition, he taught himself to breathe without the lung, allowing him to appear in court, travel and attend protests in support of disability rights. However, in his later years, he did have to spend the majority of his time inside the device.
In a video posted to TikTok prior to Alexander’s passing, Lincoln, Alexander’s social media manager, shared that Alexander had contracted COVID and been rushed to hospital. “Fortunately they have an iron lung at the hospital just for him,” Lincoln explained, “and he was able to come home this weekend, but unfortunately, he’s still kind of weak.”
Alexander’s death was announced on a GoFundMe page just over two weeks later. The fundraiser was established after Alexander was “taken advantage of by people who were supposed to care for his best interests,” leaving him with little money to live on. The GoFundMe raised $143,000 before new donations were disabled following Alexander’s passing.
Based on his TikToks, Alexander enjoyed fielding questions from curious viewers, sharing videos where he answered questions about everything from how he managed to graduate law school from inside an iron lung to how he uses the bathroom, answering all questions in good faith and good humor.
According to the World Health Organization, polio cases have decreased by over 99 percent since 1988, and two of the three strains of the virus have been eradicated. As a result, and thanks to advances in modern medicine, iron lungs are no longer widely used, with many patients whose breathing muscles are paralyzed opting to use mechanical ventilators instead.
And so, RIP to a true one-of-a-kind.
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