Martha Ann Lillard, one of the last polio survivors to live inside an iron lung, has died at the age of 78. Her death was caused by the failure of the 1940s device, which had become too old to repair. Lillard spent over 70 years living inside the machine.
Lillard was diagnosed with polio on her fifth birthday in 1953. She recalled waking up with a severe neck pain and being unable to lift her head off the pillow. Four days later, she fell unconscious and was unable to breathe or move.
Doctors placed her in an iron lung, a device that generates negative pressure to force the lungs to expand. The machine allowed her to breathe and stay alive. Two years after her diagnosis, a vaccine was created, which led to the eradication of polio.
During her illness, Lillard spent 23 hours a day in the iron lung, using her one hour of free time to rehabilitate her paralyzed limbs. As she recovered, she only needed to be in the lung for about nine hours a day. However, her condition worsened after contracting Covid-19 twice and shingles.
Despite her physical limitations, Lillard lived a relatively normal life. She took high school classes over the phone and engaged in creative activities like painting, writing poems, and composing music. In her later years, she required around-the-clock care and was confined to the iron lung 24 hours a day.
The iron lung that sustained Lillard for over 70 years eventually became too old to repair. Her family struggled to find replacement parts, which were no longer manufactured. A fundraiser was set up to honor her legacy, highlighting her remarkable resilience and determination in the face of adversity.
