Martha Ann Lillard, the last known person in the United States to live in an iron lung, died on June 26 at the age of 78. Lillard had been reliant on the 1940s-era breathing device for over seventy years after contracting polio at age five in 1953.

Polio, a highly contagious infectious disease, can cause paralysis. Lillard was diagnosed shortly before the polio vaccine became widely available in 1955. In the years prior to the vaccine, polio killed or severely disabled millions worldwide, including thousands in the U.S.

After falling ill and losing her ability to breathe or move, Lillard was placed in an iron lung. The machine, an airtight metal tank, generates negative pressure to help patients' lungs expand and contract. She recalled waking up unable to lift her head and falling unconscious shortly after. "They usually didn't like to put children in because they fought it, but I didn't," Lillard told KFOR last month.

Lillard spent six months in the hospital relearning to breathe and walk, and to rehabilitate paralyzed limbs. At one point, she required the iron lung for 23 hours a day. Despite the challenges, Lillard maintained a positive outlook, engaging in creative pursuits like painting, writing poetry, and composing music. A GoFundMe fundraiser described her as having "a wonderful fighting attitude, making the most of what she had left and enjoying life as much as she could."

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While Lillard generally used a portable ventilator when not in the iron lung and was able to live a relatively independent life, her health and reliance on the machine changed after contracting COVID-19 twice and shingles. In the months leading up to her death, she was confined to the iron lung for 24 hours a day.

Her sister, Cindy McVey, noted that Lillard did not require a caretaker until the COVID-19 pandemic. Lillard's family explained that the specialized parts needed to repair the aging iron lung were increasingly difficult to find, with some components dating back to 1940s automobiles. A power outage caused by a tornado last year necessitated her husband performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation until further aid arrived.

Lillard had previously stated her preference for the iron lung over modern respirators, which she found less effective for her specific breathing needs. She passed away from long-haul COVID-19, according to her public obituary.