Overview
- Martha Lillard died on June 26 in Oklahoma and was the last known American polio survivor who depended on an iron lung for breathing.
- She contracted polio in 1953 at age five and lived more than 70 years using the large metal negative‑pressure ventilator that lifted and lowered the chest to move air.
- Family members and local media say her health worsened recently after two COVID‑19 infections, and she used the iron lung nearly continuously in the last two years.
- Relatives and reporters say keeping the device running became harder because replacement parts from the 1940s are nearly impossible to find and technicians with repair knowledge are scarce.
- The case underlines how widespread polio vaccination pushed the iron lung from routine care to museum pieces and raises practical questions about preserving obsolete but lifesaving equipment and the care of aging patients who still rely on it.