Renowned theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking is helping with the coronavirus pandemic two years after his death.
Hawking’s family donated his ventilator to a hospital in Cambridge, where the scientist was treated for an early onset form of Lou Gehrig’s disease that he suffered from for most of his life.
“Professor Stephen Hawking’s family has donated his ventilator to Royal Papworth Hospital as we care for increasing numbers of COVID-19 patients,” the hospital announced on Wednesday. “We’d like to say a huge thank you to the Hawking family for supporting us at this challenging time.”
The ventilator was bought by Hawking himself. Since being donated, the device has been added to the medical center’s equipment. Hawking, a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, was known for his extensive research into black holes and the origins of the universe. He died in March 2018 at the age of 76.
Lucy Hawking, his daughter, said that the treatment the physicist received from Royal Papworth Hospital was “brilliant, dedicated, and compassionate.”
The United Kingdom faces a shortage of ventilators, the devices used to force breathing for people who are suffering from the worst complications related to COVID-19. The country has had almost 135,000 cases of the coronavirus and at least 18,151 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.
