Iron lung survivors. Dec 1, 2023 · The Last of the Iron Lungs (Video)“Paul Alexander is one of the last few remaining polio survivors that depend on iron lungs - half-century-old machines that force inhabitants to breathe. S. After Paul Alexander 's death, she became the last known person to still live in an iron lung. Paul Richard Alexander (January 30, 1946 – March 11, 2024) was an American paralytic polio survivor, attorney and author. Mar 15, 2024 · The Story of the Iron Lung Survivor Paul Alexander contracted polio at the age of 6 in 1952, leading to paralysis and reliance on an iron lung for breathing. who still uses an iron lung Julie Mazziotta is the Senior Sports Editor at PEOPLE, covering everything Dec 1, 2023 · Only her head sticks out of the end of the antique iron lung. Aug 21, 2018 · 82-year-old Mona Randolph is a polio survivor and one of the last three people in the U. Despite this challenge, he pursued education, became a successful lawyer, and published books. Oct 25, 2021 · Martha Lillard needed a large respirator called an iron lung to recover from polio, which she caught in 1953. Still, he was able to earn a law degree, write a book and, late in life, build a following Oct 25, 2021 · She spent six months in the hospital, where she was put in a giant metal tank — a ventilator informally called an iron lung — to help her breathe. He lived over 70 years in the iron lung. Martha Ann Lillard (born June 8, 1948) is an American polio survivor who lives in an iron lung. Decades following his disablement Mar 24, 2024 · He spent 72 years using an iron lung machine to breathe after surviving polio as a child. To this day, Lillard is one of the last people in the U. She still uses a form of the device at nights. I met Alexander a few times in his small house in Dallas. On the other side, a motorized lever pulls the leather bellows, creating negative pressure that induces her lungs to suck in air. who still depends on an iron lung to survive. Mar 13, 2024 · Texas Man Who Lived 70 Years in an Iron Lung Dies at 78: ‘I Never Gave Up’ Paralyzed by polio in 1952, Paul Alexander led a full life despite being confined to a large steel ventilator Mar 21, 2023 · Meet Paul Alexander: the longest iron lung patient who, after surviving polio, has been living thanks to an iron lung for over 70 years. Mar 13, 2024 · Paul Alexander, who died at 78, was paralyzed with polio at age 6 and relied on the machine to breathe. In 2022, Christopher Ulmer interviewed Alexander, sparking a GoFundMe campaign for his healthcare and . He spends nearly every moment in his iron lung in the center of his living room, which is decorated with degrees, awards, pictures of family, and a Nov 30, 2013 · It’s a long way from central Oklahoma to Syria, but one of America’s last iron lung survivors says she’s a living reminder that an outbreak of polio anywhere in the world is a danger Mar 13, 2024 · Paul Alexander, the man who lived inside an iron lung for over 70 years after contracting polio, died Monday after being hospitalized for Covid last month, his friends and family said. After contracting polio in 1952 at the age of six, he spent the remainder and vast majority of his life in an iron lung, and is currently recognized as the person to have spent the longest period of time occupying one at almost 72 years. ” “ ‘The period of time that it took the nurse to get out of the chair, it seemed like forever because you weren’t breathing,’ ” Lillard said. Polio is a potentially life-threatening disease, once among the world's most feared. xylj qb 47dtr 9mxl wbp2rz dvk2n zfy 3v186yw ibgaz wkut