Paul Alexander: Who Was He? A US man who had polio as a child and recovered while using iron lung

After being diagnosed with polio as a kid and being confined to an iron lung, Paul Alexander went on to become a lawyer, write a book about his life, gain a large social media following, and inspire people all over the world with his optimistic view.

Alexander passed away on Monday at the age of 78 in a Dallas hospital, according to his longtime friend Daniel Spinks. He added that Alexander had just been admitted to the hospital after a COVID-19 diagnosis, but he was unsure of the reason for Alexander’s passing. When Alexander was six years old in 1952, he had polio. He developed an iron lung, a cylinder that enclosed his torso and pushed air into and out of his lungs, as a result of being paralyzed from the neck down. Millions of people saw his TikTok account.

“He cherished laughter,” Spinks said. “He was just one of this world’s shining stars.” Alexander says that “being positive is a way of life for me” in one of his TikTok “Conversations With Paul” videos, as his head rests on a cushion with the sound of the iron lung whirling in the background. Alexander’s optimism, according to Spinks, had a significant impact on others around him. In many respects, being with Paul was enlightening, according to Spinks.

Alexander had mastered the technique of “gulping air down his lungs,” according to Spinks, in order to spend some time outside of the iron lung. Alexander could use a stick in his mouth to use a phone and type on a computer, according to Spinks. According to Spinks, “he really just retired back to the lung as he got older because he had more difficulty breathing outside the lung for periods of time.” Alexander and Gary Cox had been friends since college, and according to Cox, Alexander never stopped smiling. “He was really amiable,” Cox said. “He was content no matter what.”

“Three Minutes for a Dog: My Life in an Iron Lung,” a book Alexander authored about his life, was released in 2020. According to Cox, Alexander’s nurse promised him when he was a little child that he would receive a dog if he could learn to breathe on his own for three minutes. This is where the title of the story originates. Before he could remain outside for three minutes, five minutes, ten minutes, and finally, Cox estimated that it would take him two to three years. Eventually, he had the strength to learn how to remain outside for the whole day. Alexander did, in fact, get the dog.

Alexander was a motivated guy with a deep belief in God, according to Spinks. He graduated from the University of Texas with a bachelor’s degree in economics in 1978 and a law degree in 1984. Following Cox’s hiring in 2000 as his driver and assistant, they became close. He promised to drive Alexander to the courts and assist him in getting into his wheelchair for the hearing. He said that at the time, Alexander could go four to six hours without being in an iron lung and would always be in one, whether at work or home.

Even though Spinks and Alexander didn’t work together for very long—roughly a year—Spinks claimed to be one of the pals who assisted Alexander in maintaining and mending his iron lungs. “There were a few near misses where his lung would burst and I would have to run over there and fix it,” Spinks said. According to Cox, he and his brother once purchased an iron lung on eBay, traveled to Chicago to pick it up, brought it back to Dallas, and restored it. “They stopped producing them,” Cox said. They stopped providing the components to them. Even collars are no longer available for them.

Once upon a time, polio was one of the most dreaded illnesses in the country, resulting in thousands of paralysis cases each year from outbreaks. Children are the disease’s primary victims. Vaccines were first made accessible in 1955. A nationwide immunization effort reduced the yearly number of cases in the United States to less than 100 in the 1960s and less than 10 in the 1970s, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Since polio was proclaimed eradicated in the United States in 1979, it is no longer often transmitted.

Alexander was passionate about proving that people with disabilities could have a role in society, according to Spinks, and he liked being interviewed. In 2022, Alexander was interviewed by Chris Ulmer, the creator of Special Books By Special Kids, a social media site that provides handicapped people with a means of sharing their stories. Ulmer said, “Paul himself really loved motivating people and showing them that they are capable of great things.” He said, “He just exuded a contagious, vibrant and joyful energy around him.” According to Cox, over time, people have sought out Alexander to hear his motivational narrative from all around the world. Cox said, “If he put his mind to it, he could do it.”