Texas man passes away after living in iron cylinder for more than 70 years
A paralysed man who lived in an iron cylinder for more than seven decades died at the age of 78 last Monday (11 March).
Paul “Polio Paul” Alexander’s death was announced on a GoFundMe page run by Christopher Ulmer.
Source: GoFundMe
His death comes after decades of living inside a metal cylinder, which helped him breathe.
Metal cylinder helped Paul breathe
After being diagnosed with polio at the age of six, Mr Alexander was left paralysed from the neck down.
According to CNN, he was unable to breathe on his own after contracting the disease.
To allow him to breathe, doctors placed him inside a metal cylinder called an iron lung.
Source: KidDr1ft on Facebook
BBC noted that the device worked by having bellows suck air out of the cylinder, which would force Mr Alexander’s lungs to take in air as they expanded.
The air would then be let back into the cylinder, causing his lungs to deflate.
Did not let life in cylinder stop him from going to law school
Despite his circumstances, Mr Alexander did not let his condition stop him from living as normal a life as possible.
Source: Special Books by Special Kids on Facebook
In 1986, he obtained his law degree from the University of Texas.
He was admitted to the bar two years later and went on to start his own practice.
In one of his viral TikTok videos, Mr Alexander talked about his inspiring journey through law school.
@ironlungman Replying to @Josie While everyone has a unique law school experience, Paul attended UT Law School in a very interesting way… #conversationswithpaul #ironlung #poliopaul #PaulAlexander #QandA
“I was confronted by a couple of problems that turned out to be major problems, and that was I can’t write,” he said.
“But I found it to be the most effective and rewarding process.”
Published a book in 2020
After gaining recognition for his resilience, Mr Alexander published a book in 2020.
His book recounts key moments in his life as an individual who suffers from polio.
Titled ‘Three Minutes for a Dog: My Life in an Iron Lung’, the book took Mr Alexander five years to write — but not in a conventional way.
“I wrote it with my mouth and a pencil typing away at the computer,” he shared in another video.
@ironlungman Paul took five years writing “Three Minutes For A Dog” by typing into a computer using a pencil placed in his mouth! The link to his book can be found below on Amazon! #conversationswithpaul #ironlung #poliopaul #PaulAlexander
Paul’s death comes after he contracted Covid-19
The cause of Mr Alexander’s death was not disclosed.
However, he was rushed to the emergency room in February, according to an update by his social media manager, Lincoln.
@ironlungman Please keep Paul in your thoughts and prayers! ❤️🙏#conversationswithpaul #ironlung #poliopaul #PaulAlexander
At the hospital, Mr Alexander tested positive for Covid-19.
While he was eventually able to go home, he remained quite weak.
According to Lincoln, Mr Alexander was also struggling to eat and drink.
Remembered as ‘incredible role model’
Mr Alexander will be remembered as an inspiration among many for his work in raising awareness of polio.
Reuters reported that Paul’s brother, Philip, paid tribute with a moving post on Facebook.
Source: Philip Alexander on Facebook via The Daily Mail
“It was an honour to be part of someone’s life who was as admired as he was,” he wrote.
“He touched and inspired millions of people and that is no exaggeration.”
Philip also told Mr Ulmer that he was grateful to those who donated to his brother’s fundraiser.
“It is absolutely incredible to read all the comments and know that so many people were inspired by Paul, I am just so grateful,” he said.
The remaining donations on the GoFundMe page will go towards paying for Mr Alexander’s funeral.
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Featured image adapted from KidDr1ft on Facebook and Special Books by Special Kids on Facebook.
