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

Lillard, of Oklahoma, contracted polio when she was five and slept inside cylindrical metal device to help her breathe The last known US person living with polio and relying on an iron lung has died aged 78. Martha Lillard, who contracted polio at age five and spent most of her life dependent on an iron lung machine that helped her breathe, died on 26 June in Oklahoma, according to an online obituary. Continue reading...

Marina Dunbar · Sun, Jul 12, 2026, 11:37 AM
US news | The Guardian

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

Lillard, of Oklahoma, contracted polio when she was five and slept inside cylindrical metal device to help her breathe

The last known US person living with polio and relying on an iron lung has died aged 78.

Martha Lillard, who contracted polio at age five and spent most of her life dependent on an iron lung machine that helped her breathe, died on 26 June in Oklahoma, according to an online obituary.

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