Paul Alexander famous by the moniker 'the man in the iron lung' died at the age of 78. As per reports, Paul Alexander spent 70 years of his life in an iron lung installed by the doctors after he was afflicted with polio. Paul Alexander's death has been mourned by the Americans on social media. Not only this, but Paul Alexander on Thursday also became among the top trending topics around the world. Now, the question arises who was Paul Alexander and why did he spend 70 years of his life in an iron lung?
Who was Paul Alexander?
Hailing from Dallas, Paul Alexander was forced to live inside the 600-pound metallic structure after being struck down by polio at the age of six. As a result, Alexander started to be called 'Polio Paul'. As per US media reports, Paul Alexander was paralysed from the neck down since 1952 due to the disease, leaving him unable to breathe by himself. As a result, Paul was rushed to a hospital in Texas after developing symptoms and woke up inside the mechanical lung. Notably, Paul's videos on TikTok have generated millions of views on TikTok.
A GoFundMe page announced Paul Alexander's death on March 12, 2024. The page wrote, "After surviving polio as a child, he lived over 70 years inside of an iron lung. In this time Paul went to college, became a lawyer, and a published author. His story traveled wide and far, positively influencing people around the world. Paul was an incredible role model that will continue to be remembered."
For the unversed, Paul Alexander fought the worst polio outbreak in US history with almost 58,000 cases - mostly children. As per a US media report, polio severely affected Paul requiring him to use a machine to breathe. Initially, it was thought that Paul Alexander wouldn't live long as per his friends, but he went on to live for decades with a positive and happy heart.