Full Breakdown
Martha Lillard’s Death Marks the End of the U.S. Iron-Lung Era
7/11/2026, 6:11:58 AM
The Final Chapter of a Historic Journey
Martha Lillard, 78, died on June 26, 2026 in Shawnee, Oklahoma, becoming the last known American polio survivor who relied on an iron lung for breathing. The machine, a cylindrical respirator that moves air in and out of the lungs by pressure changes, had supported her since a childhood polio diagnosis at age 5. Her sister, Cindy McVey, confirmed the death and noted that Lillard had spent the last two years inside the device nearly 24 hours a day.
Polio in the United States: From Epidemic to Elimination
Polio once caused thousands of paralytic cases annually, prompting a massive public-health response. Vaccines entered the market in 1955, and a CDC-led campaign reduced annual U.S. cases to fewer than 100 in the 1960s and under 10 in the 1970s. In 1979 the disease was declared eliminated, meaning it no longer spread routinely in the country.
Living Within the Iron Lung
Lillard’s early life unfolded inside the respirator. She attended grade school two hours a day and used a telephone-intercom system to participate in Shawnee High School classes. A custom trailer allowed family road trips, and she even learned to drive for a period, describing the experience as “just normal.” In the early 2000s she met Egyptian chat-room participant Baha Salh, later marrying him in February after he secured a U.S. visa. Despite chronic health limits, she wrote poetry, composed songs, volunteered for animal-rescue causes, and maintained an online obituary that later listed “long-haul Covid 19” as her cause of death.
Official Records and Family Attribution
The death certificate lists chronic pulmonary failure and post-polio syndrome as primary causes. McVey attributes the decline to long-haul COVID-19, noting that Lillard’s lung capacity had fallen below 25 percent before contracting the virus twice during the pandemic. In recent years the family searched for technicians to repair the aging iron lung, but with Lillard’s passing the effort ceased.
Verbatim Quotes
- “They told her she wasn't supposed to live past 20 years old,” — Cindy McVey
- “To me, it was just normal,” — Cindy McVey
- “They were really soulmates,” — Cindy McVey
- “He's extremely brokenhearted.” — Cindy McVey
- “died of long-haul Covid 19,” — Martha Lillard (obituary)
