After surviving childhood polio, a paralysed Texas man spent 72 years of his life inside an iron lung. He has now passed away on Thursday at age 78, his family was quoted by Reuters as saying.
According to a Facebook post by his brother Philip, Paul Alexander, passed away on Monday. He didn't provide a reason for the death.
He was among the very last individuals to utilize the device, which was frequently seen in polio units in the 1940s and 1950s.
Philip Alexander wrote in a social media post on Tuesday that "it was an honour to be part of someone's life who was as admired as he was. He touched and inspired millions of people and that is no exaggeration".
Following a childhood case of polio, which left tens of thousands of children disabled annually, Alexander was six years old in 1952 when he was put in a full-body metal cylinder known as an iron lung. To get air into the lungs, an iron lung employs pressure.
“I never gave up, and I’m not going to,” Alexander had told YouTuber Mitch Summers in 2021.
His brother said that Paul became a lawyer after passing the bar exam and earning a degree from the University of Texas at Austin Law School in 1984. He visited all the continents as well.
According to his brother, "He commanded a room. What a flirt! He loved good food, wine, women, long conversations, learning, and laughing."
In February, Paul was admitted to the hospital after suffering from COVID-19. A representative on TikTok, where Paul Alexander had over 300,000 followers, said that the sickness left him weak and dehydrated.
