Paul contracted polio when he was just five years old, and it left him with permanent respiratory damage.

The iron lung works by having patients lie inside it; the device is then tightly enclosed around their neck, creating an artificial vacuum which mechanically fills their lungs up with oxygen. It was not intended for long-term use.

Paul’s continued reliance on the iron lung has therefore not been without its problems. The devices have not been manufactured since the 1960s, and he was forced to issue an online plea for help in 2015 when his lung started to malfunction.

There are only 10 people left in the world who still use iron lungs, and they have to rely on costly and difficult-to-obtain spare parts.

Thankfully, however, Paul’s plea for help was answered by a kindly mechanic named Brady Richards, who offered to help Paul get his iron lung back in tip-top condition.

“I looked for years to find someone who knew how to work on iron lungs,” Paul revealed in an interview with Gizmodo. “Brady Richards, it’s a miracle that I found him.”

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