Hours each day in an iron lung kept her breathing, her will to live kept her alive

A significant story is unfolding on the international scene. Hours each day in an iron lung kept her breathing, her will to live kept her alive Image source, Cindy McVey HandoutImage caption, Martha Lillard's sister said her sister had limited photos in the iron lung as she did not like being photographed in her bedByAna FaguyPublished14 July 2026, 03:19 BSTUpdated 9 minutes agoMartha Lillard was the last polio patient in the US who used an iron lung but her family told the she never let it slow her down. Even with the large metal device encircling her body for hours each day for most of her life, Lillard found a way to drive a vehicle, took up painting and cared for her beloved beagles. " was resilient, she would find a way, or make do," her younger sister, Cindy McVey, said.

The Oklahoma resident passed away at the age of 78 late last month. While her official cause of death was listed as post-polio syndrome and chronic pulmonary failure, McVey attributes her sister's death to the effects of long Covid-19. The iron lung uses a negative pressure system.

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Powered by a motor, its bellows suck air out of the cylinder, creating a vacuum around the patient's body and forcing the lungs to expand and take in air. When the air is let back in, the same process in reverse makes the lungs deflate. Tens of thousands of people relied on iron lungs to live, following polio's peak in the 1950's.

For some 73 years Lillard used the machine to stay alive. Image source, Cindy McVey HandoutImage caption, Martha Lillard did not feel uncomfortable in the iron lung, the way other children with polio did, her sister saidShe did not fear the machine, the way some children did. "It recharged her and made her feel better," McVey said.

When Lillard was diagnosed in the mid 1950's, talk and concern of the incurable disease was all consuming. Even Lillard herself, as a five-year-old, knew and worried about the disease, her sister said. "Martha woke up and she couldn't lift her head off the pillow, she said she knew right away that she had polio, because she heard so much about it," McVey said.

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The man in the iron lung: How Paul Alexander lived life to the full Published24 March 2024Following a stint in the hospital, Lillard and her family were focused on recovery. Lillard was in physical therapy, occupational therapy and water therapy, trying to retain as much strength as she could, ultimately regaining partial use of her left arm and use of her legs. It was not just Lillard who was determined to live life like her peers, her family insisted and committed to doing whatever they could.

Lillard's uncle and grandfather created a contraption that would open the iron lung so Lillard could live alone and get in out of the iron lung herself. "She could do things most iron lung patients couldn't do," McVey said. A vehicle was retrofitted so that Lillard could drive.

Placing the wheel in a position so it would sit in her lap and be accessible to her.

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.