'The Man in the Iron Lung' dies at 78

He was known by millions on social media as polio, Paul, Paul Alexander of Dallas was forced to live most of his life in an iron lung. After contracting polio, he died this week after achieving what few imagined would have been possible tonight, gave Bob Buckaloo takes a look back at Paul’s miraculous life for 72 years. Paul Alexander lived most of his life in and out of an iron lung. He contracted the poliovirus when he was six and lost the ability to breathe on his own. A cylinder that encased his body created the air pressure that

forced air into and out of his lungs. A cumbersome mechanical lifesaver, but that did not stop Paul from having a remarkable life. He earned a law degree from UT Austin, wrote a book about his life and built a big following on social media. Paul inspired people around the globe and was seen by millions in regular tiktok videos. Paul eventually taught himself to breathe on his own for a few hours a day and could leave the machine only to return and when it became difficult to draw breath, he had been a member of a generation of

mostly Children stricken with polio. A virus that struck fear in parents everywhere. In 1952 during the worst polio outbreak in US history, 57,000 people were infected, 21,000 were paralyzed and 3000 died. Most of them Children, scientists eventually found a

vaccine to offer reassurance that it was safe. Publicity pictures showed singer Elvis Presley getting one of the first shots. By 1979 polio had been officially eradicated in the US only to return in 2022 when the CDC reported new cases had started showing up in the US. Paul passed away this week at a Dallas hospital after contracting

COVID-19, Bob Buckaloo KVI News.