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Last US Polio Patient Dependent on Iron Lung Dies Months After Marriage
How 2 Israeli newsrooms covered this story — translated into English and compared side by side.
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First reported by Kikar HaShabbat · 1 day ago
What happened
Martha Lillard, the last known US polio patient dependent on an iron lung, died at 78 in Oklahoma months after marrying her longtime Egyptian partner. She lived with polio effects for over 70 years and required near-constant iron lung support in recent years. Her death marks the end of an era for polio survivors reliant on this life-saving device.
- 01Martha Lillard was the last known US polio patient using an iron lung and died at 78 in Oklahoma.
- 02She married her Egyptian partner after a 20-year online relationship in early 2023.
- 03Lillard contracted polio at age five and lived with its effects for over seven decades.
- 04Her death certificate cited chronic respiratory failure and post-polio syndrome, with COVID-19 contributing.
- 05She lived independently despite paralysis and used the internet to maintain social ties and activism.
- 06Polio was eradicated in the US by 1979 due to vaccination campaigns reducing cases drastically.
Summary translated & synthesized from the sources below by baba. Read each original for the full report.
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