Martha Lillard, who passed away in Oklahoma at 78, was recognized as the last polio survivor in the United States reliant on an iron lung. Despite needing the negative pressure device for hours daily throughout her life, her family remembers her as someone who refused to let her condition define her.
Contracting polio at age five just before the vaccine’s release, Lillard utilized the machine for 73 years. Her sister, Cindy McVey, noted that Lillard did not fear the apparatus, viewing it instead as a restorative necessity. Lillard maintained an active life, painting landscapes, raising beagles, and even driving a specially modified vehicle featuring floor-mounted signals.
Her resilience was supported by her family, who designed custom adaptations to provide her with independence. Recently, she married Baha Salh, her partner of two decades. While her official cause of death was post-polio syndrome and respiratory failure, McVey suggests the impact of a long-term bout with Covid-19 was a contributing factor.
Amid modern concerns regarding vaccine hesitancy, McVey warns against forgetting the devastating reality of polio. She emphasizes that the risks associated with remaining unvaccinated far outweigh any perceived issues with the shots that successfully eradicated the disease in the US.
