Martha Lillard, last known US polio survivor using iron lung, dies aged 78

Martha Lillard, the last known person in the U.S. to rely on an iron lung for breathing, died on June 26 in Oklahoma at the age of 78. Lillard contracted polio at age five and spent most of her life in the cylindrical metal device that assisted her breathing by altering air pressure. Despite being told she wouldn't live past 20, she pursued education and was able to travel with her family. Her death certificate lists chronic pulmonary failure and post-polio syndrome as causes of death, with her sister suggesting long-term Covid-19 effects may have contributed. Iron lungs were a significant medical device during polio epidemics before widespread vaccination eliminated the disease in the U.S. by 1979.

Martha Lillard, the last known polio patient in the U.S. to use an iron lung, died on June 26 in Oklahoma at the age of 78. Diagnosed with polio at age five, Lillard relied on the iron lung to breathe for most of her life, despite doctors predicting she wouldn't live past 20. Her sister, Cindy McVey, believes her death was due to complications from long-haul COVID-19. Lillard lived a full life, attending school remotely, traveling with a custom trailer for her iron lung, and even driving for a period. She also found love online, marrying a man from Egypt after he obtained a visa. Polio, once a feared disease, has been eliminated in the U.S. due to widespread vaccination efforts.