Martha Lillard, the final polio survivor in the United States to rely on an iron lung, has passed away at the age of 78 due to complications from COVID-19. Lillard was a lifelong resident of Shawnee, Oklahoma.
In 1953, at just five years old, Lillard contracted polio, a highly infectious disease caused by the poliovirus that spreads through contaminated food, water, or respiratory droplets. The disease primarily affected children aged five and under, and it was at the height of its spread in the United States at the time.
Lillard relied on an iron lung, a large, cylindrical ventilator that encloses a patient's entire body below the neckline, to help her overcome the disease. Although iron lungs have become largely obsolete with the development of more modern ventilators, Lillard preferred the iron lung as it was the most comfortable option for her.
Lillard spent more than seven decades relying on the iron lung, a testament to its lifesaving capabilities. Before a vaccine was developed in 1955, polio killed tens of thousands of people in the U.S., leaving survivors paralyzed, disfigured, or reliant on an iron lung.
Lillard recalled her first encounter with polio, waking up with a pain in her neck and struggling to breathe. She spent six months in the hospital learning to breathe on her own and eventually learned to walk again, albeit with a paralyzed right arm and partially functional left arm.
Lillard's reliance on the iron lung was not without its challenges. In the mid-1990s, the machine began to break down, and she had to find a replacement. She also faced a scare when an ice storm cut electricity to her home, leaving her to call 911 for help after her generator died.
Lillard is survived by her husband, sister, and brother-in-law, as well as several cousins, nieces, and nephews. A GoFundMe has been established to help with funeral expenses.
