CNN —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.
He was placed in an iron lung, a large metal cylinder that varies air pressure to stimulate breathing, according to his autobiography.
Our neighbors would run over and help us pump it.”Paul spent the next seven decades in an iron lung.
In March 2023, he was declared the longest surviving iron lung patient in the world by the Guinness World Records.
He learned breathing techniques that allowed him to leave the iron lung for a few hours at a time.
Persons:
Paul Alexander, Philip Alexander, Paul, ” Philip, Philip said, “ Paul, ” Christopher Ulmer, ” Doris Alexander, Paul’s, ” Paul, “, ”, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, “ I’ve, I’m, Paul ”
Organizations:
CNN, US Centers for Disease Control, CDC, Guinness World Records, CNN Health
Locations:
United States