A man dubbed “Polio Paul” has lived inside a 600-pound iron lung for seven decades, reportedly refusing to upgrade to a modern machine. Paul Alexander, 77, contracted polio in 1952 when he was 6 years old. In March,
Guinness World Records declared him the longest iron lung patient ever. He has faced many challenges since he was born in 1946.
Just last year, Alexander was “taken advantage of by people who were supposed to care for his best interests,”
with a fundraiser collecting $132,000 for him. In 1952, he endured the worst polio outbreak in US history with almost 58,000 cases — mostly children — reported. He has relied on the neck-to-toe ventilator to survive ever since.