Last American Iron Lung Survivor Martha Lillard Dies at 78 After 70 Years

Martha Lillard of Oklahoma, the last known American to live with an iron lung, passed away at age 78 after decades of coping with polio's effects. She contracted polio at age five, which left her paralyzed from the neck down and dependent on the iron lung, a mechanical respirator that uses negative pressure to help patients breathe. Lillard used the device primarily during sleep but required nearly constant use after contracting COVID-19 twice during the pandemic.

Despite her severe disability, Lillard attended school with private tutors and later regained some movement in her left hand and legs, even driving a car for a period. Her death certificate cites chronic respiratory failure and post-polio syndrome as causes, with her sister noting that long-term COVID-19 complications worsened her condition.

Polio once caused thousands of paralysis cases annually in the United States until the vaccine's introduction in 1955. The disease was declared eradicated in the U.S. in 1979. Lillard's passing marks the end of an era for iron lung users, a technology that saved many lives before modern ventilators became widespread.