An American who lived inside an iron lung for more than 70 years after contracting polio at the age of six, died on March 11. Mr Paul Alexander was 78.
He was left paralysed from the neck down as a result of the viral disease, which he caught in 1952.
Polio left him unable to breathe independently, and doctors placed him inside the metal cylinder, where he spent the rest of his life, according to media reports.
Mr Alexander, who lived in Dallas, called the lung his “old iron horse”, reported British news outlet BBC. Bellows, which drew and expelled air from the cylinder, forced his lungs to expand and deflate.
His death was announced on a fund-raising website, where he was hailed as a “role model for many”.
After contracting polio, Mr Alexander received a law degree, passed the bar exam and started a successful practice, said the organiser of the GoFundMe page, Mr Christopher Ulmer.
“His story travelled far and wide, positively influencing people around the world. Paul was an incredible role model that will continue to be remembered,” said Mr Ulmer.
The page had initially been set up to be used to raise funds for Mr Alexander’s housing and healthcare expenses, including the maintenance of his iron lung, after he was taken advantage of by previous caregivers.
Mr Alexander’s brother Philip told Mr Ulmer the donations will be used to pay for the funeral. “It allowed him to live his last few years stress-free… I am just so grateful,” he added.
Some years after he caught polio, Mr Alexander learnt to breathe by himself and was able to leave the lung for short periods.
But his condition deteriorated in recent years due to a respiratory infection, according to broadcast outlet Sky News. He also experienced pain in his legs when he moved them.
He published a memoir, Three Minutes For A Dog: My Life In An Iron Lung, in April 2020. The book took him more than eight years to write. He used a plastic stick and a pen to type on the keyboard and also dictated his words to a friend, reported The Guardian.
In a 2020 interview with the British news outlet, he said: “I knew if I was going to do anything with my life, it was going to have to be a mental thing.”
