Paul Alexander, the 'man in the iron lung' and longest Polio survivor dies at 78

Lester Kiewit speaks to Adam Gilchrist about trending online news. Skip to 3.10 for this one.

Paul Alexander also known as the 'man in the iron lung' or 'Polio Paul' died at the age of 78 on Wednesday, 13 March. 

It's reported that Alexander's health deteriorated in recent weeks and the brothers spent his final days together, sharing pints of ice cream.

Alexander contracted polio in 1952 when he was six after playing in park, leaving him paralysed from the neck down.

The disease left him unable to breathe independently, leading doctors to place him in the metal cylinder also known as, the "iron lung", where he would spend the rest of his life.

Gilchrist reports that Alexander was the person to live the longest with Polio and despite his disease, he was "also life-affirming." 

"He lived inside an iron lung for 70 of his 78 years. It's like being neck to toe in a torpedo tube and he was that way for 70 of his 78 years. It's desperately sad but it's also life-affirming as Polio Paul as he came to be known never gave up. Rest in peace to him, no longer incased in metal, at least."

- Adam Gilchrist, The World View - CapeTalk

In previous interviews with media outlets, Alexander described living in an iron lung as a "friend and an enemy."

The lung, which he called his "old iron horse", allowed him to breathe. Bellows sucked air out of the cylinder, forcing his lungs to expand and take in air. When the air was let back in, the same process in reverse made his lungs deflate.

After years, Alexander eventually learned to breathe by himself so that he was able to leave the lung for short periods of time.

Alexander was not expected to survive long but he lived for decades, long after the invention of the polio vaccine in the 1950s.

Despite his diagnosis, Alexander studied and practised law, wrote a book, learnt to paint with his mouth, lived life and even became a TikToker. Follow @ironlungman to watch some of his videos.

In a video posted by BBC, Alexander's brother Phillip shared a touching tribute to his brother who he'll remember as "a normal brother" and a "master of his domain."

"Paul was an incredible role model. He was a welcoming, warm person. He was just a normal brother to me. We fought, we played, we loved, we partied, we went to concerts together - he was just a normal brother, I never thought about it. He was the master of his domain, helping people to help him. It was an honour to be with him in his last moments." 

- Phillip Alexander, Brother 

Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the full conversation.