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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.
A fundraiser for his healthcare confirmed Alexander, of Dallas, Texas, passed away on Monday. Alexander spent a lifetime in the iron lung after contracting polio in 1952
Paul Alexander, widely known as "Polio Paul", contracted the viral disease in the summer of 1952 when he was six years old and was left paralysed from the neck down. He was rushed to hospital in Texas - and woke up inside the metal cylinder where he would spend the rest of his life.
Paul Alexander faced many challenges since he was born in 1946. He endured the worst polio outbreak in US history with almost 58,000 cases - mostly children.
Paul Alexander was struck down by polio in 1952 and was left paralysed. He could only move his head, neck and mouth and almost died before doctors put him in an iron lung