‘Polio Paul,’ who spent most of the past 70 years in an iron lung, dies at 78

By Mira Cheng, CNN

Updated 7:57 PM EDT, Wed March 13, 2024

He spent most of his life in an iron lung. How he defied expectations (2022)

CNN —

Paul Alexander, who spent the vast majority of the past 70 years in an iron lung and defied expectations by becoming a lawyer and author, died Monday afternoon at the age of 78, according to his brother Philip Alexander.

His death was announced Tuesday on a GoFund page set up to help pay for his housing and health care.

“It is absolutely incredible to read all the comments and know that so many people were inspired by Paul. I am just so grateful,” Philip said on the GoFund page.

The exact cause of Paul’s death is unclear. He was admitted to the hospital three weeks ago due to a Covid-19 infection but was no longer testing positive this week, Philip said.

“Paul, you will be missed but always remembered. Thanks for sharing your story with us,” Christopher Ulmer, organizer of the GoFund fundraiser, said on the page.

Paul developed polio in the summer of 1952, at the age of 6. It was the height of the polio epidemic; more than 21,000 paralytic polio cases were recorded that year in the United States, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Today, polio is considered eliminated in the United States thanks to vaccines that were developed in the late 1950s, according to the CDC.

The disease left Paul paralyzed from the neck down and unable to breathe on his own. He was placed in an iron lung, a large metal cylinder that varies air pressure to stimulate breathing, according to his autobiography.

“The doctors told us Paul could not possibly live,” Doris Alexander, Paul’s mother, said in his autobiography. “There were a few times when the electrical power failed and then the lung had to be pumped by hand. Our neighbors would run over and help us pump it.”

Paul spent the next seven decades in an iron lung. In March 2023, he was declared the longest surviving iron lung patient in the world by the Guinness World Records.

Paul’s ambitions were not limited by his condition. He learned breathing techniques that allowed him to leave the iron lung for a few hours at a time. He graduated college, earned a law degree and went on to practice as a courtroom attorney for 30 years.

He also self-published his autobiography, “Three Minutes for a Dog: My Life in an Iron Lung,” titled after the accomplishment of learning how to breathe independently for at least three minutes – a feat that took him a year to master and was rewarded with a dog, according to the book.

Paul told CNN in 2022 that he was working on a second book. He demonstrated his writing process, using a pen attached to a plastic stick held in his mouth to tap keys on a keyboard.

“I’ve got some big dreams. I’m not going to accept from anybody their limitations,” he said in the interview. “My life is incredible.

In January, he set up a “Polio Paul” TikTok account, where he described his life accomplishments and answered questions about life in an iron lung like “How do you go to the bathroom?” and “How do you stay so positive?” At the time of his death, he had 300,000 followers and more than 4.5 million likes.

Paul was also an advocate for polio vaccination. In his first TikTok video, he said, “the millions of children not protected against polio. They have to be, before there’s another epidemic.”

‘Polio Paul,’ who spent most of the past 70 years in an iron lung, dies at 78

在过去70年的大部分时间里都在铁肺中度过的脊髓灰质炎Paul去世了，享年78岁

Paul Alexander, who spent the vast majority of the past 70 years in an iron lung and defied expectations by becoming a lawyer and author, died Monday afternoon at the age of 78, according to his brother Philip Alexander.

Paul Alexander，他在过去70年的绝大多数时间里都在铁肺中度过，他超越了人们的期望，成为了一名律师和作家，于周一下午去世，享年78岁，他的哥哥Philip Alexander告知。

His death was announced Tuesday on a GoFund page set up to help pay for his housing and health care.

周二，网页上宣布了他的死讯，该网页是为了帮助支付他的住房和医疗费用而建立的。

“It is absolutely incredible to read all the comments and know that so many people were inspired by Paul. I am just so grateful,” Philip said on the GoFund page.

“我看了所有的评论，这么多人受到了Paul的鼓舞，真是太不可思议了，我非常感激”，Philip在网页上说道。

The exact cause of Paul’s death is unclear. He was admitted to the hospital three weeks ago due to a Covid-19 infection but was no longer testing positive this week, Philip said.

Paul具体的死因还不清楚。他三周前因感染新冠住院，但本周检测结果已经不再呈阳性，Philip说道。

“Paul, you will be missed but always remembered. Thanks for sharing your story with us,” Christopher Ulmer, organizer of the GoFund fundraiser, said on the page.

“Paul，我们会想念你，永远会记住你。谢谢你与我们分享你的故事”，筹款组织者Christopher Ulmer在网页上说。

Paul developed polio in the summer of 1952, at the age of 6. It was the height of the polio epidemic; more than 21,000 paralytic polio cases were recorded that year in the United States, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

1952年夏天，6岁的Paul患上了脊髓灰质炎。那时候是脊髓灰质炎流行的高峰期；根据美国疾病控制和预防中心的数据，当年美国记录了超过2.1万例脊髓灰质炎病例。

Today, polio is considered eliminated in the United States thanks to vaccines that were developed in the late 1950s, according to the CDC.

据美国疾病控制与预防中心称，如今，由于1950年代末开发出的疫苗，脊髓灰质炎在美国已经被消除了。

The disease left Paul paralyzed from the neck down and unable to breathe on his own. He was placed in an iron lung, a large metal cylinder that varies air pressure to stimulate breathing, according to his autobiography.

这个疾病让Paul颈部以下瘫痪，无法自己呼吸。根据他的自传，他被安置在一个铁肺里，这是一个巨大的金属圆柱体，可以改变空气压力来刺激呼吸。

“The doctors told us Paul could not possibly live,” Doris Alexander, Paul’s mother, said in his autobiography. “There were a few times when the electrical power failed and then the lung had to be pumped by hand. Our neighbors would run over and help us pump it.”

在Paul的自传中，他的母亲Doris Alexander说：“医生告诉我们，Paul不可能活下去。有几次停电了，我们不得不用手动的方式，我们的邻居会跑过来帮我们”。

Paul spent the next seven decades in an iron lung. In March 2023, he was declared the longest surviving iron lung patient in the world by the Guinness World Records.

在接下来的70年里，Paul都生活在这个铁肺中。2023年三月，他成为世界上存活时间最长的铁肺患者，成为吉尼斯世界纪录。

Paul’s ambitions were not limited by his condition. He learned breathing techniques that allowed him to leave the iron lung for a few hours at a time. He graduated college, earned a law degree and went on to practice as a courtroom attorney for 30 years.

身体状况的限制并没有限制Paul的雄心壮志。他学会了一些呼吸技巧，能够一次离开铁肺几个小时。他从大学毕业，获得了法律学位，并担任法庭律师30年。

He also self-published his autobiography, “Three Minutes for a Dog: My Life in an Iron Lung,” titled after the accomplishment of learning how to breathe independently for at least three minutes – a feat that took him a year to master and was rewarded with a dog, according to the book.

他还自行出版了自传《三分钟得到一条狗：我在铁肺里的生活》，书名取自他如何取得独立呼吸至少三分钟的成就——书中称，这一成就花了他一年的时间才掌握，并因此被奖励了一只狗。

Paul told CNN in 2022 that he was working on a second book. He demonstrated his writing process, using a pen attached to a plastic stick held in his mouth to tap keys on a keyboard.

Paul在2022年告诉CNN，他正在写第二本书。他演示了自己的写作过程，用一支笔绑在含在嘴里的塑料棒上，来敲击键盘。

“I’ve got some big dreams. I’m not going to accept from anybody their limitations,” he said in the interview. “My life is incredible.”

“我有一些远大的梦想，我不会接受任何人对我的限制”，他在采访时说道，“我的生活是不可思议的”。

In January, he set up a “Polio Paul” TikTok account, where he described his life accomplishments and answered questions about life in an iron lung like “How do you go to the bathroom?” and “How do you stay so positive?” At the time of his death, he had 300,000 followers and more than 4.5 million likes.

一月份，他在抖音建立了Polio Paul的账户，在那里，他描述了生活中的成绩，还会打了一些在铁肺中生活的问题，比如“如何洗澡？”，“你怎么做到保持这么积极向上的？”在他去世的时候，他的账号有300000粉丝，超过450万点赞。

Paul was also an advocate for polio vaccination. In his first TikTok video, he said, “the millions of children not protected against polio. They have to be, before there’s another epidemic.”

Paul也是脊髓灰质炎疫苗接种的倡导者。在他的第一段抖音视频中，他说：“数百万儿童没有得到防止脊髓灰质炎的保护。在该疾病再次流行之前，他们需要得到保护”。