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Last Iron Lung User Martha Lillard Dies | Perth News
Description
The last known American to rely on an iron lung has passed away at 78 — Martha Lillard, who battled polio as a child and defied doctors’ predictions to live decades longer. Once told she wouldn’t survive past 20, she lived a full, adventurous life, even traveling with her family in a custom trailer. Her death, possibly linked to Covid-19, marks the end of an era — she joins Paul Alexander, another iron lung icon who also died at 78. These survivors, who used the life-saving machines during polio’s terror years, represent a generation shaped by a disease now eradicated thanks to vaccines. Their stories are a powerful reminder of resilience and the triumph of medical progress.
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