33:
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It was unclear what caused Mr. Alexander's death. He had been briefly hospitalized with the coronavirus in
February, according to his TikTok account. After he returned home, Mr. Alexander struggled with eating and hydrating as he recovered from the virus, which attacks the lungs and can be especially
268:, in April 2020 with the assistance of friend and former nurse Norman D. Brown. Alexander spent more than eight years writing the book, using a plastic stick and a pen to tap out on a keyboard or by dictating the words to his friend.
152:
Alexander was born on
January 30, 1946, in Dallas to Gus Nicholas Alexander, the child of Greek immigrants, and Doris Marie Emmett, of Lebanese descent. He contracted polio at the age of six and was
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He spent eighteen months in the hospital. At discharge, his parents rented a portable generator and a truck to bring him and his iron lung home. Beginning in 1954, with help from the
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172:. There, children were treated in a ward of iron lungs. He almost died in the hospital before a doctor noticed he was not breathing and rushed him into an
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198:'s first home schooled students. He learned to memorize instead of taking notes. At the age of twenty-one, he graduated second in his class from
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account in
January 2024, on which he posted videos discussing his life. He had more than 330,000 followers at the time of his death.
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in
February, the actual cause of death was unclear. He was one of the last two people still using the technology, alongside
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in 1984. Before he was admitted to the bar in 1986, he was employed as an instructor of legal terminology to court
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in 1967, becoming the first person to graduate from a Dallas high school without physically attending a class.
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712:"Paul Alexander, polio survivor in iron lung for over 70 years, dies at 78 after Covid diagnosis"
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Alexander died in Dallas on March 11, 2024, at age 78. Although he had been hospitalized for
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686:"Texas man who used an iron lung for decades after contracting polio as a child dies at 78"
132:, he contracted polio in 1952 at the age of six. Alexander earned a bachelor's degree and
774:"Decades after polio, Martha is among the last to still rely on an iron lung to breathe"
253:
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During a major U.S. outbreak of polio in the early 1950s, hundreds of children around
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191:, which allowed him to leave the iron lung for gradually increasing periods of time.
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811:"Paul Alexander Spent Seven Decades in an Iron Lung. Polio Couldn't Take His Hope"
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as the person who has spent the longest amount of time living in an iron lung.
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421:"Meet One of the Last Polio Survivors To Subscribe to Invincible Craft"
360:"Paul Alexander, who spent seven decades using iron lung, dies at 78"
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Being able to breathe on his own without the iron lung for many hours
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at an Austin trade school. He represented clients in court in a
739:"Lawyer, Author and TikTok Star Spent 72 Years in an Iron Lung"
321:"Lawyer, Author and TikTok Star Spent 72 Years in an Iron Lung"
783:
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dangerous to people who are older and have breathing problems.
144:
in 1986. He self-published a memoir in 2020. He died in 2024.
592:"Dallas lawyer has lived most of his life in an iron lung"
483:"Polio survivors from Parkland reunite six decades late"
128:
survivor, lawyer and writer. The last man to live in an
157:
for life, only able to move his head, neck, and mouth.
229:
and a modified wheelchair that held his body upright.
885:(2nd ed.). Victoria, BC, Canada: FriesenPress.
846:(1st ed.). Victoria, BC, Canada: FriesenPress.
121:(January 30, 1946 – March 11, 2024) was an American
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809:Ramirez, Marc; Deletter, Emily (March 13, 2024).
883:Three Minutes for a Dog: My Life in an Iron Lung
843:Three Minutes for a Dog: My Life in an Iron Lung
266:Three Minutes for a Dog: My Life in an Iron Lung
187:named Mrs. Sullivan, Alexander taught himself
16:American polio survivor and writer (1946–2024)
8:
517:McRobbie, Linda Rodriguez (May 26, 2020).
387:
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256:, who first entered an iron lung in 1953.
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1025:University of Texas School of Law alumni
419:Marchildon, Jackie (November 23, 2017).
277:
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637:from the original on November 20, 2017
539:from the original on September 9, 2021
289:"Paul Alexander Obituary - Dallas, TX"
283:
281:
663:from the original on December 4, 2022
623:Brown, Jennings (November 20, 2017).
481:Panicker, Jobin (February 27, 2018).
264:Alexander self-published his memoir,
168:, including Alexander, were taken to
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1020:Southern Methodist University alumni
920:Interview with Paul Alexander (2022)
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462:from the original on August 10, 2023
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205:Alexander received a scholarship to
980:American people of Lebanese descent
790:from the original on March 13, 2024
749:from the original on March 13, 2024
718:from the original on March 13, 2024
692:from the original on March 13, 2024
392:Hoffman, Barry (December 1, 2014).
339:from the original on March 13, 2024
295:from the original on March 13, 2024
995:American writers with disabilities
975:American lawyers with disabilities
965:21st-century American male writers
196:Dallas Independent School District
37:Alexander in his iron lung in 1986
14:
868:from the original on May 13, 2024
821:from the original on May 13, 2024
737:Jiménez, Jesus (March 13, 2024).
493:from the original on May 22, 2023
400:from the original on May 22, 2023
370:from the original on May 13, 2024
319:Jiménez, Jesus (March 13, 2024).
232:Alexander has been recognized by
985:American people of Greek descent
970:21st-century American memoirists
772:Kelly, Erin (October 25, 2021).
604:from the original on May 1, 2023
571:from the original on May 3, 2023
450:Adams, Phillip (June 16, 2020).
431:from the original on May 3, 2023
358:Murphy, Brian (March 13, 2024).
590:Ramirez, Marc (July 5, 2018).
1:
960:21st-century American lawyers
955:20th-century American lawyers
929:Special Books by Special Kids
211:University of Texas at Austin
207:Southern Methodist University
138:University of Texas at Austin
93:University of Texas at Austin
89:Southern Methodist University
714:. NBC News. March 13, 2024.
625:"The Last of the Iron Lungs"
881:Alexander, Paul R. (2023).
840:Alexander, Paul R. (2020).
688:. AP News. March 13, 2024.
657:"Longest iron lung patient"
1051:
659:. Guinness World Records.
519:"The man in the iron lung"
394:"The Man in the Iron Lung"
189:glossopharyngeal breathing
200:W. W. Samuell High School
194:Alexander was one of the
110:Last man in the iron lung
30:
396:. Consumer Health News.
209:. He transferred to the
1010:People with tetraplegia
559:"Mr. Paul R. Alexander"
119:Paul Richard Alexander
235:Guinness World Records
47:Paul Richard Alexander
815:Savannah Morning News
779:All Things Considered
452:"Man in an iron lung"
1035:World record holders
241:Alexander started a
213:, where he earned a
1005:Lawyers from Dallas
364:The Washington Post
142:admitted to the bar
79:Dallas, Texas, U.S.
990:American TikTokers
743:The New York Times
564:Martindale-Hubbell
456:ABC Radio National
325:The New York Times
185:physical therapist
853:978-1-5255-2531-5
776:. Radio Diaries.
215:bachelor's degree
170:Parkland Hospital
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74:(2024-03-11)
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950:2024 deaths
945:1946 births
667:December 4,
641:January 27,
543:January 27,
497:January 27,
466:January 27,
435:January 27,
404:January 27,
939:Categories
901:1392285856
862:1154511337
600:. Dallas.
272:References
140:, and was
99:Occupation
53:1946-01-30
872:March 13,
825:March 14,
794:March 13,
753:March 14,
722:March 13,
696:March 13,
533:0261-3077
374:March 14,
343:March 14,
333:0362-4331
299:March 13,
174:iron lung
155:paralyzed
130:iron lung
123:paralytic
85:Education
926:channel
866:Archived
819:Archived
788:Archived
747:Archived
716:Archived
690:Archived
661:Archived
635:Archived
602:Archived
569:Archived
537:Archived
491:Archived
460:Archived
429:Archived
398:Archived
368:Archived
337:Archived
293:Archived
250:COVID-19
924:YouTube
630:Gizmodo
608:May 11,
575:May 11,
136:at the
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889:
860:
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531:
331:
243:TikTok
183:and a
162:Dallas
102:Lawyer
63:, U.S.
166:Texas
126:polio
897:OCLC
887:ISBN
874:2024
858:OCLC
848:ISBN
827:2024
796:2024
755:2024
724:2024
698:2024
669:2022
643:2021
610:2021
577:2021
545:2021
529:ISSN
499:2021
487:WFAA
468:2021
437:2021
406:2021
376:2024
345:2024
329:ISSN
301:2024
260:Book
148:Life
69:Died
43:Born
922:on
784:NPR
941::
895:.
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677:^
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
