A LAWYER who lived in an iron lung for seven decades after contracting polio has died aged 78.
Paul Alexander – widely known as Polio Paul – died on Monday after contracting Covid.
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Polio Paul died at the age of 78 Credit: YouTube/SBSK
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Paul shown in his iron lung as a child Credit: Paul Alexander
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He was able to step out of the device for a short time and wore a wheelchair suit in court Credit: Paul Alexander
Paul – who had 330,000 followers on TikTok – was left paralyzed after contracting polio in 1952 when he was six.
After returning from playing outside that summer with a fever and headache, the deadly virus took hold within days and Paul, from Texas, was rushed to the hospital.
Doctors operated on him to clear the mucus that filled his lungs because his body was unable to clear it.
When he awoke, he was in a mechanical device – where he would spend most of his life.
Despite being mostly attached to the tank, Paul became a lawyer, and at one point was even engaged.
While studying at university, he met a woman named Claire whom he later proposed to.
But his hopes of marriage were dashed when Claire’s mother forbade him to marry Paul.
After surviving in the machine for seven decades, an update on his GoFundMe page from organizer Christopher Ulmer confirmed that Paul had died on Monday.
Disability rights activist Christopher wrote on Tuesday: “Paul Alexander, ‘The Man in the Iron Lung’, passed away yesterday.
“After surviving polio as a child, he lived for more than 70 years in an iron lung.
“By this time Paul had gone to college, become a lawyer and published writers.
“His story traveled around our region, positively influencing people around the world.
“Paul was an incredible role model who will be remembered forever.
“Paul, we will miss you, but you will always be remembered.”
According to reports, the cause of Paul’s death was a Covid infection.
His social media manager, Lincoln, took to his TikTok page in late February to tell his fans that he had tested positive after being taken to the hospital.
He told Paul’s followers: “I know there’s been a lot of questions and comments about where the videos were, is Paul okay.
“Last week, unfortunately, he was rushed to the emergency room in the hospital, he tested positive for Covid, which is really, really dangerous for someone with his condition.
“Luckily, the hospital has an iron lung just for him, so he was able to come home this weekend.
“But unfortunately, he’s still kind of weak, he’s still having some confusion, he’s still having a hard time eating and hydrating.”
Paul used his TikTok page to answer fans’ questions about polio and iron lung in a series he called Coversations with Paul.
Polio is a deadly virus that attacks the spinal cord, leaving some survivors paralyzed.
It caused annual outbreaks from the early 1900s to the 1950s, causing tens of thousands of children to lose limbs each year in the US and Europe.
Symptoms include high fever, fatigue, headaches, vomiting, stiff neck and muscle aches.
Many affected children had to be placed in iron lungs — 7-foot metal boxes that use a vacuum to push air in and out of their own lungs.
What is polio?
Polio is an infectious disease that is transmitted from person to person, and most often affects children under the age of five.
The disease attacks the nervous system and in some extreme cases can lead to paralysis.
Polio is highly contagious, and a person can transmit it even when they are not sick.
There are two ways in which the virus passes from person to person.
The first is that people with poliovirus in their bodies expel the virus through their feces.
Another way is that the virus can then spread to other people when they ingest contaminated water or food.
This exposure is more likely in areas with poor hygiene or weak water purification systems.
Polio is caused by a virus called poliovirus.
The virus enters the body through the mouth or nose, reaching the digestive and respiratory (respiratory) systems.
It then collects in the throat and intestines.
From there it can enter the bloodstream and attack the nervous system.
There are three strains of poliovirus: types one, two and three. Types two and three have been eliminated, but type one still affects people in several countries.
Although there is no cure, there is a safe and effective vaccine.
A vaccine was invented in 1955, largely eradicating the virus and protecting people from it.
But the vaccine arrived too late for Paul, who could not move from the neck down.
He had a team of caregivers who took turns cleaning and caring for him, and he used his mouth to handle a pen while writing or using the phone.
Despite more modern respirators having been around since the 1960s, Paul decided to continue using the iron lung because it was what he was used to.
Other devices may also require a tracheostomy – a hole in his throat – which he never wanted again, after having to have one initially when he was first hit by the virus.
He lived in the hospital for two years, but graduated from high school, received a law degree and practiced law for decades.
Paul learned a technique called frog breathing, which allows people to gulp air through their throats instead of using their lungs, which allowed him short periods off the device.
He represented clients in court wearing a three-piece suit in a wheelchair that kept his body upright.
But as he got older, he was attached to the device and living in a facility in Dallas.
Many well-wishers continued to donate to Paul’s GoFundMe page to help with his funeral.
His brother Philip said: “I am so grateful to everyone who donated to my brother’s charity.
“It has allowed him to live his last few years stress-free. They will also pay for his funeral at this difficult time.
“It’s absolutely amazing to read all the comments and know that so many people were inspired by Paul.”
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Nurses tend to a roomful of polio patients in iron lung ventilators in California in the 1950s Credit: Alamy
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He kept himself alive in a 7-foot iron lung for decades Credit: YouTube/ SBSK
What are iron lungs and how do they work?
The iron lung was invented at Harvard University in the early 1900s as a state-of-the-art life support machine for polio victims.
He encloses the patient in a coffin-like metal box and uses a set of bellows to pump air in and out, allowing him to breathe despite his chest muscles being paralyzed.
The bellows suck air from the box, reducing the air pressure and automatically expanding the patient’s lungs to draw fresh air into his body.
As the bellows allows air back into the cylinder, it causes the air pressure to rise and the patient exhales.
The device was first used to save the life of an eight-year-old girl at Children’s Hospital in Boston in 1928.
Iron lungs became common in polio wards, with about 1,000 in use in the US by 1939.
Most patients used only one for several weeks or months until they recovered from their illness.
However, those whose pectoral muscles were permanently paralyzed – like Paul – faced spending their entire lives in one.
Iron lungs have largely been replaced by modern respirators since the polio vaccine was developed in the 1950s.
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: HIS Education