Martha Mason was an extraordinary human being who spent over 60 years of her life in immobilised in an Iron Lung after becoming paralyzed in her childhood years as a result of polio.

Despite her seemingly desperate situation, Martha lived a fulfilling life, graduating from high-school and college with the highest honors, hosting many dinner parties and even writing a book called "Breath: Life in the Rhythm of an Iron Lung", in which she portrayed the challenges and joys of her life.

Martha was bom on May 31,1937, in Lattimore, a small town about 50 miles from Charlotte. Her story took a tragic turn when she was only 11 years old. Soon she found herself immobilized in the iron lung, dependent on it to do the breathing for her. Mason has lived almost her entire life in such a tank with the pressure contracting and expanding her lungs when her weak muscles couldn't.