Martha Ann Lillard, thought to be the final individual in the US who depended upon
an iron lung for her survival from polio infection, died aged 78, marking the end of an
era in the history of medicine. Martha died on June 26 at her residence in Shawnee,
Oklahoma, due to complications arising from long COVID, chronic pulmonary failure,
and post-polio syndrome, stated by her family members.
Martha Ann Lillard got infected with polio in 1953, just two years before the
availability of the first polio vaccine following her fifth birthday. Polio caused severe
paralysis and rendered her incapable of breathing on her own; hence she had to
depend on an iron lung, which is a type of negative pressure ventilator once widely
employed during polio epidemics. Modern ventilators eventually replaced the
instrument; however, Lillard continued using the aging ventilator throughout her
lifetime because it worked best for her.
Although her physicians had predicted that Lillard might never live past early
adulthood, she managed to defy all odds by having a productive and independent
existence. She enrolled into school using the intercom, regained partial function of
one of her arms via therapy sessions, mastered cooking skills, drove cars for a while,
wrote poems and songs, painted and also worked on voluntary basis for local animal
welfare associations.
An inspiring part of Lillard’s life story is when she got acquainted with her future
husband Baha Salh via the Internet after the September 11 attack. After years of
correspondence through distance, the couple got married in February 2026 once
Salh got a visa to enter the United States.
She is also a great example of the great effects that vaccination can have in
eradicating some of the deadliest diseases. Prior to 1955 when vaccinations for polio
were invented, outbreaks would lead to paralysis amongst children all across the
United States. Polio was then officially considered eradicated from circulation in the
US in 1979, which means that Lillard was one of the last survivors of a time when
polio took away many lives every year.
With the death of Martha Lillard, the iron lung—a symbol of hope amidst the polio
epidemic—has entered into history books.
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