Paul Alexander: The Man in the Iron Lung Who Refused to Surrender

Paul Alexander lived a life that defied every expectation. For over 70 years, he depended on an iron lung—a vintage breathing machine from 1928—to survive. Yet, despite spending most of his life inside a metal canister, Paul chose to live boldly and without apology. He became a lawyer, an author, and an enduring symbol of resilience.

“I am not going to accept from anybody their limitations on my life. Not gonna do it. My life is incredible.”

From Active Childhood to Sudden Illness

Paul’s life changed forever at age six. Born in 1946, he was an energetic child growing up in a Dallas, Texas suburb. But one summer day in 1952, he came running home, telling his mother he felt unwell. Within days, his condition worsened. He couldn’t breathe, swallow, or even hold a spoon. His parents rushed him to the hospital, where he joined rows of other children suffering from polio—a highly contagious virus that, before vaccines, paralyzed over 15,000 Americans each year.

Initially pronounced dead, Paul was given a second chance by a quick-thinking doctor who performed an emergency tracheotomy and placed him in an iron lung. He awoke days later, surrounded by children encased in the same whirring machines, unable to move or speak.