Tributes have been paid to an “extraordinary” man who spent more than 70 years living in an iron lung after contracting polio as a child.
Paul Alexander, who died on Tuesday aged 78 from Covid-19, contracted the disease aged six and used the device to help him breathe.
The introduction of the polio vaccine in the 1950s drastically reduced the numbers of people affected by the illness.
Journalist Kai Kupferschmidt said Mr Alexander, who was dubbed ‘Polio Paul’, “ended up in an iron lung and while he could live outside it for extended periods of time he never really left it”.
So sad to hear that Paul Alexander passed yesterday at age 78 from Covid-19. Paul contracted polio in 1952, when he was just six years old. He ended up in an iron lung and while he could live outside it for extended periods of time he never really left it. pic.twitter.com/nTPtALzfJu
— Kai Kupferschmidt (@kakape) March 12, 2024
He said: “Paul was an extraordinary person and he lived an extraordinary life by any measure.
“I remember being shocked when I first heard about him, that there were people who still needed an iron lung. It was a reminder of the terror of polio and the power of vaccines
“But what most stuck with me after our episodes (and what my colleagues and I talked about the most) was actually the force of his spirit, his wit, his will to live life to the fullest, far beyond what people thought was possible for him.”
Mr Alexander, who lived in Texas, worked as a lawyer and wrote a book about his experiences.Christopher Ulmer who set up a fundraising campaign for Mr Alexander to help pay for his healthcare said example “traveled wide and far, positively influencing people around the world”.
He said: ”Paul was an incredible role model that will continue to be remembered.”
Mr Alexander’s brother Philip said the fundraising had allowed him to “live his last few years stress-free”.
