American male infected with polio at age 6 and survived in an "iron lung" dies at age 78

Recently CNN.co.jp on-line news reported the following:

６歳でポリオ感染、「鉄の肺」で生き抜いた米国人男性が死去　７８歳

2024.03.14 Thu posted at 12:50 JST

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（ＣＮＮ） ６歳でポリオに感染して首から下がまひし、過去７０年の大半を「鉄の肺」と呼ばれる巨大な人工呼吸器で過ごした米国人男性ポール・アレクサンダーさんが１１日午後、死去したことが分かった。兄弟のフィリップさんが明らかにした。

ポールさんの死は１２日、募金サイト「ゴー・ファンド・ミー」に開設された住宅費や医療費を募るページで発表された。

フィリップさんはゴー・ファンド・ミーのページに「全てのコメントを読んで、これほど多くの人がポールから勇気をもらっていたことを知り、信じられない思いでいっぱい。ただただ感謝している」と書き込んだ。

正確な死因は不明。新型コロナウイルスに感染して３週間前に入院していたが、今週の時点ではもう陽性反応は出ていなかった。

ポールさんは１９５２年夏、６歳でポリオを発症した。米疾病対策センター（ＣＤＣ）によると、当時はポリオの流行が最悪期を迎えていた時期で、米国ではまひ性ポリオの症例が２万１０００件あまり記録された。

ＣＤＣによれば、５０年代後半に開発されたワクチンのおかげで、今日ではポリオは撲滅されたと考えられている。

ポールさんはポリオの影響で首から下がまひし、自力で呼吸できない状態に。自伝によると、空気の圧力を変えて呼吸を刺激する大型の金属筒「鉄の肺」に入れられた。

ポールさんの母親はこの自伝の中で、「生きるのは不可能だろうと医師から告げられた」と振り返っている。

ポールさんはその後７０年間を鉄の肺の中で過ごし、２０２３年３月にはギネス・ワールド・レコーズから「鉄の肺を使用する世界で最も長生きの存命患者」に認定された。

逆境にあってもポールさんの野心がくじかれることはなかった。呼吸法を習得した結果、数時間連続で鉄の肺から出ることが可能に。大学を卒業して法学の学位を取得し、３０年間にわたって法廷弁護士を務めた。

Translation

(CNN) Paul Alexander, an American man who contracted polio at the age of six and became paralyzed from the neck down and spent most of the past 70 years in a giant ventilator known as an "iron lung," was found dead on the afternoon of the 11th.  This was revealed by his brother Philip.

Paul's death was announced on the 12th on a page set up on the fundraising site ``Go Fund Me'' to raise money for housing and medical expenses.

Philip wrote on the Go Fund Me page: "I'm in disbelief after reading all the comments and seeing how many people have been inspired by Paul. I'm just so grateful."

The exact cause of death was unknown. He was hospitalized three weeks ago with the coronavirus, but as of this week he was no longer tested positive.

Paul contracted polio in the summer of 1952 at the age of six. At the time, the polio epidemic was at its worst, with more than 21,000 cases of paralytic polio recorded in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

According to the CDC, polio was now considered eradicated due to vaccines developed in the late 1950s.

Paul's polio left him paralyzed from the neck down and unable to breathe on his own. According to his autobiography, he was placed in an "iron lung," a large metal tube that changed the air pressure to stimulate breathing.

"Doctors told him he would not survive," Paul's mother recalled in her autobiography.

Paul spent the next 70 years in an iron lung, and in March 2023, he was recognized by Guinness World Records as the world's longest living iron lung patient.

Even in the face of adversity, Paul's ambition was never deterred. He learnt breathing techniques that allowed him to stay out of the iron lung for several hours straight. He graduated from college with a law degree and served as a barrister for 30 years.

So, an American male who contracted polio at the age of six and spent most of the past 70 years in a giant ventilator known as an "iron lung" has died.  Even in the face of adversity, he tried to fulfill his ambition.  He graduated from college with a law degree and served as a barrister for 30 years. His indomitable spirit has inspired many people.