Iron lung man Paul Alexander dead at 78: Lawyer who was paralysed after suffering Polio as a six year old and lived in an iron lung for 70 years dies

Paul Alexander, the man who lived in an iron lung for seventy years, has died at the age of 78.

A health care fundraiser confirmed that Alexander, of Dallas, Texas, died Monday without providing further details.

Alexander was just six years old when he contracted polio in 1952, which left him paralyzed from the neck down.

Unable to breathe on his own, he spent a lifetime in an iron lung, which he depended on to breathe for more than seventy years.

Christopher Ulmer, disability rights organizer and activist, said: ‘Paul Alexander, “The Man in the Iron Lung”, passed away yesterday.

‘After surviving polio as a child, he lived in an iron lung for more than seventy years. During this time, Paul went to college, became a lawyer, and a published author.

“His story spread far and wide and positively influenced people around the world.

“Paul was an incredible role model who will still be remembered.”