Paul Alexander, known as “The Man in the Iron Lung” or “Polio Paul,” passed away at the age of 78 on Tuesday (March 12), leaving behind a legacy of resilience and inspiration after surviving polio.
Paul was diagnosed with poliomyelitis, a highly infectious viral disease caused by the poliovirus, in 1952 at only six years old.
Born on January 30, 1946, in Dallas, Texas, USA, the polio survivor went on to spend the rest of his life encased in a machine known as an iron lung, also known as a “negative pressure ventilator,” a medical device used to help individuals with respiratory paralysis, a condition Paul suffered from.
