Paul Alexander, known worldwide as “the man in the iron lung,” passed away at the age of 78 on 12 March 2024. A polio survivor, Alexander contracted the disease in 1952 at the age of six, which left him paralyzed from the neck down and unable to breathe independently. This led doctors to place him in an iron lung, a metal cylinder that helped him breathe and where he would spend most of his life.
Despite his severe physical limitations, Alexander’s life was marked by remarkable achievements. He earned a law degree, practiced law, and even published a memoir. A post on a fundraising website announced his passing, highlighting his incredible journey and impact: “Paul Alexander, ‘The Man in the Iron Lung’, passed away yesterday. In this time, Paul went to college, became a lawyer, and a published author. Paul was an incredible role model.”
His brother, Philip Alexander, remembered Paul as a “welcoming, warm person” with a “big smile” that instantly put people at ease. Reflecting on their relationship, Philip said, “He was just a normal brother to me. We fought, we played, we loved, we partied, we went to concerts together – he was just a normal brother, I never thought about it.” Philip admired Paul’s self-sufficiency, despite his inability to perform daily tasks like feeding himself. “He was the master of his domain, helping people to help him,” Philip added.
Paul’s health had deteriorated in recent weeks, and the brothers spent his final days together, sharing pints of ice cream. “It was an honor to be with him in his last moments,” Philip said.
In 1952, doctors in Dallas operated on young Paul, saving his life but leaving him dependent on the iron lung to breathe. The lung, which he affectionately called his “old iron horse,” used bellows to suck air out of the cylinder, forcing his lungs to expand and take in air. When air was let back in, the process reversed, making his lungs deflate. Over the years, Paul learned to breathe independently for short periods, but he primarily relied on the iron lung.
Paul Alexander defied the odds, living for decades after the polio vaccine was introduced in the 1950s and nearly eradicated the disease in the Western world. He graduated from high school and attended Southern Methodist University before earning a law degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1984. Admitted to the bar two years later, he practiced law for many years. In a 2020 interview with the Guardian, Paul reflected on his life, saying, “I knew if I was going to do anything with my life, it was going to have to be a mental thing.”
That year, he published a memoir, a project that reportedly took him eight years to complete. He used a plastic stick to type on a keyboard and dictated parts of it to a friend. Following its publication, his brother Philip realized just how inspirational Paul had become to people worldwide.
Though advances in medicine made iron lungs obsolete by the 1960s, replaced by ventilators, Paul continued living in the cylinder because he was accustomed to it. His extraordinary life earned him recognition from Guinness World Records as the person who lived the longest in an iron lung.
Paul Alexander’s story is a testament to human resilience and the power of determination. His legacy will continue to inspire countless individuals, demonstrating that even the most daunting challenges can be overcome with courage and perseverance.
