World of the Bizarre

Man lives in hospital for over 45 years

By T.K. Randall
August 5, 2013 ·  5 comments

Image Credit: jynmeyer / sxc.hu Machado was one of several children to suffer from polio and infantile paralysis during one of the biggest outbreaks of the disease in Brazil, requiring him to be hooked up to an artificial respirator 24 hours a day. At the time children with the disease were not expected to survive longer than 10 years, yet Machado defied the odds and still lives in his hospital room to this day. Despite not being able to leave he has made the most of his confined existence and is now a qualified computer animator.

"I explored up and down the corridors, going into the rooms of other children that were here - that is how I discovered my 'universe'," he said. "For me, playing football or with normal toys wasn't an option, so it was more about using my imagination."[!gad]Machado was one of several children to suffer from polio and infantile paralysis during one of the biggest outbreaks of the disease in Brazil, requiring him to be hooked up to an artificial respirator 24 hours a day. At the time children with the disease were not expected to survive longer than 10 years, yet Machado defied the odds and still lives in his hospital room to this day. Despite not being able to leave he has made the most of his confined existence and is now a qualified computer animator.

"I explored up and down the corridors, going into the rooms of other children that were here - that is how I discovered my 'universe'," he said. "For me, playing football or with normal toys wasn't an option, so it was more about using my imagination."

Source: BBC news | Comments (5)

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