Last known US polio survivor using iron lung dies at 78
8 reported
Martha Lillard, the last known person in the United States living with polio and relying on an iron lung, has died at age 78. Lillard contracted polio at age five and spent most of her life dependent on the iron lung machine, which helped her breathe. She died on 26 June in Oklahoma, according to an online obituary. Her younger sister, Cindy McVey, told the Associated Press that she believes a long-term case of Covid-19 contributed to Lillard’s death, and that her death certificate lists chronic pulmonary failure and post-polio syndrome as causes. Lillard’s death comes two years after the death of Paul Alexander, another iron lung patient who died at age 78. Before vaccines became widely available, polio was among the most feared diseases in the US, with yearly outbreaks leaving thousands of people paralyzed, most of them children.
What’s reported
Martha Lillard contracted polio at age five and spent most of her life dependent on an iron lung.
She died on 26 June in Oklahoma, according to an online obituary.
Her sister Cindy McVey told the Associated Press that a long-term case of Covid-19 likely contributed to her death.
Lillard’s death certificate lists chronic pulmonary failure and post-polio syndrome as causes of death.
Lillard attended grade school for two hours daily and completed the rest of her education through tutoring.
She was able to travel in a custom trailer and drive for a period of time.
Paul Alexander, another iron lung patient, died at age 78 two years prior.
Polio was declared eliminated in the US in 1979, meaning it was no longer routinely spread.
Key figures
Martha Lillard, last known US polio survivor using an iron lung
Cindy McVey, Lillard’s younger sister
Paul Alexander, Texas man who spent much of his life in an iron lung
Sources: The Guardian
