Sad but interesting. Paul Alexander contracted polio as a child and lived 70 years inside an iron lung. Despite all this, he became both an author and lawyer. I had no idea people still were living in iron lungs.
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/...151539158.html
Paul Alexander, known as "The Man in the Iron Lung," passed away at 78 after living over 70 years in the apparatus. His death was confirmed by a healthcare fundraiser organizer. Alexander, who was paralyzed by polio at age six, accomplished remarkable feats, including becoming a lawyer and author.
Despite his physical limitations, he advocated for disability rights. Outliving his family and his original iron lung, Alexander's resilience inspired many. He formed significant relationships and left a lasting legacy of courage and determination.
Paul Alexander, the man who lived in an iron lung for over 70 years, has passed away at 78 from COVID-19, according to a report by the EveningStandard.
In a heartfelt message on Alexander's GoFundMe page, Christopher Ulmer, a disability-rights activist and organizer, announced his passing by writing: "Paul Alexander, "The Man in the Iron Lung" has passed away.
Ulmer praised Alexander's resilience, highlighting his remarkable journey from surviving polio to living over 70 years inside the iron lung.
Despite his physical challenges, Alexander accomplished extraordinary feats, including becoming a lawyer, author, and inspirational figure whose story touched lives worldwide.
Paralyzed from the neck down since contracting polio at age six in 1952, Alexander was one of the last people who relied on the iron lung to breathe, but despite his physical limitations, Alexander's determination led him to achieve notable milestones, such as graduating high school without ever attending a physical class and pursuing higher education at Southern Methodist University in Dallas and then law school at the University of Texas, Austin.
The Texas native achieved his dream of becoming a trial lawyer and represented his clients in court, donning a tailored three-piece suit while seated in a specially adapted wheelchair that supported his paralyzed frame in an upright position.
He also advocated for disability rights and chronicled his experiences in a memoir, "Three Minutes for a Dog: My Life in an Iron Lung," which he painstakingly wrote over five years using a pen attached to a stick held in his mouth.
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Originally Posted by bowieluva
