The Man in the Iron Lung
From The Guardian
Paul Alexander is given a shave while inside an iron lung in his home in Dallas, Texas Photo Source: Allison Smith/The Guardian
“When he was six, Paul Alexander contracted polio and was paralysed for life. Today he is 74, and one of the last people in the world still using an iron lung. But after surviving one deadly outbreak, he did not expect to find himself threatened by another.”
(Published in May, 2020, during the COVID Pandemic.)
“One day in July, in a quiet Dallas suburb, a six-year-old boy named Paul Alexander was playing outside in the summer rain. He didn’t feel well – his neck hurt, his head pounded. Leaving his muddy shoes in the yard, he walked barefoot into the kitchen, letting the screen door slam behind him. When his mother looked up at his feverish face, she gasped. She made him run out and grab his shoes, then ordered him to bed.”
The Complete Story:
Note: Paul Alexander died in March, 2024