Last American Iron Lung Patient Passes Away After Depending On It For More Than 70 Years

Martha Lillard, thought to be the last American who depended on an iron lung for her daily survival, has passed away at the age of 78 after more than seventy years of battling the severe impacts of childhood polio.

Lillard died on June 26 in Shawnee, Oklahoma, as confirmed by her sister, Cindy McVey. Her family shared that she surpassed medical predictions for most of her life, as doctors had once stated she would not live past her early twenties.

“They told her she wasn’t supposed to make it past 20,” McVey told The Associated Press. Instead, Lillard created a life filled with resilience, creativity, and determination, despite facing significant physical challenges.

One of the most resilient battles in medical history has officially come to an end today. Martha Lillard, the last remaining person in the world to rely on an "Iron Lung," has passed away at the age of 78. Contracted polio in 1953 on her 5th birthday, Martha spent 73 years of her… pic.twitter.com/hoNluQCjXI

— Noctis (@Noctisvelt) July 9, 2026

A five-year-old Martha Lillard is seen smiling from within an iron lung in 1953, shortly after she contracted polio.
According to her death certificate, the main causes of death were chronic pulmonary failure and post-polio syndrome. McVey also mentioned that lingering health issues from long COVID played a role in her sister’s decline.

Lillard’s struggle began in 1953, when she contracted polio on her fifth birthday—two years before the first polio vaccine became widely accessible in the United States.

Reflecting on that day in an interview with Oklahoma television station KFOR shortly before her passing, Lillard recounted waking up with severe neck pain and soon losing her ability to move or breathe independently.

Martha Ann Lillard inside the iron lung she used to fight polio.
Within days, she fell unconscious and required urgent medical attention. Ultimately, she spent six months in the hospital, much of that time inside an iron lung, a large metal ventilator that utilized air pressure to help her lungs inflate and deflate.

If you've missed it, I highly recommend watching/reading this touching story of long time Shawnee Oklahoma resident Martha Ann Lillard who recently passed away. The iron lung was a respite for her one working lung after contracting polio at age 5. @kforhttps://t.co/gYXpBhbSe2 https://t.co/bzIRH2hscC pic.twitter.com/5g30I8DcxH

— Tara Blume (@tcblume) July 9, 2026

While many young patients reportedly found it difficult to adapt to the machine, Lillard expressed that she found solace in it, as it enabled her to breathe once more.

Although she ultimately regained her ability to walk, polio left her with a permanently paralyzed right arm and significantly impaired lung function. A family fundraising page indicates that throughout her adult life, she had less than 25% of normal lung capacity.

For many years, Lillard relied on the iron lung mainly during her sleep. However, her condition worsened due to post-polio syndrome and two COVID-19 infections, which led to a decline in her breathing, making her almost entirely dependent on the device in her later years.

Martha Ann Lillard is pictured next to the vintage iron lung machine that aided her breathing throughout her life.

Despite these obstacles, Lillard was determined not to let her illness define her.

#LongCOVID has claimed another remarkable life.

➡️ Martha Lillard, one of the last Americans to live with an iron lung after surviving paralytic polio as a child, has died following complications of LongCOVID.

➡️ Having overcome one of history’s most feared viral diseases and… pic.twitter.com/3s5b9lmwnR

— Vipin M. Vashishtha (@vipintukur) July 12, 2026

She attended school, lived independently for many years, cooked her own meals, and even drove. During family trips, her relatives transported the large iron lung in a specially designed trailer so she could continue to travel.

Beyond her health challenges, Lillard engaged in various creative pursuits. She painted, wrote poetry, composed music for the piano using her left hand, and volunteered with the Humane Society to help rescue abandoned dogs.

Later in life, she also found love.

After the September 11 attacks, Lillard joined an online discussion group to stay informed about global events. It was there that she met Baha Salh, an Egyptian native. After maintaining a long-distance friendship for over twenty years, Salh was finally allowed to travel to the United States, and they married in February.

McVey described them as true soulmates, noting that her brother-in-law has been heartbroken by her loss.

Last year, Lillard’s incredible story gained national attention when a tornado caused a power outage that rendered her iron lung inoperable. During this crisis, Salh kept her alive by performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation until help arrived.

Martha Ann Lillard, the last known American living in an iron lung, has died at 78 after long COVID and the failure of her aging machine.

She has lived in the machine since the 1940s.

Martha Ann Lillard of Shawnee, Oklahoma, who contracted polio in 1953 at just five years old,… pic.twitter.com/7mTVYnZyIV

— ArchaeoHistories (@histories_arch) July 12, 2026

In recent years, Lillard’s family has been on the lookout for technicians who could fix the old machine, which has replacement parts from the 1940s.

With the recent passing of the woman thought to be the last iron lung user in the country, her family now shares that this search has reached an emotional conclusion.

Lillard’s legacy is one of resilience, demonstrating for many years that with determination and hope, one can overcome even the toughest medical obstacles.

Sources: New York Post