Martha Lillard, who was paralyzed by polio at age five in 1953 and lived for 73 years dependent on an iron lung, died at 78 in Oklahoma on June 26. She was the last American polio patient still using the machine — a remarkable medical milestone marking the near-complete eradication of the disease in the US. Her sister attributed the death to long-haul COVID complications. The story is widely covered and well-sourced across major outlets, highlighting both the advancing age of remaining polio survivors and ongoing challenges with maintaining mid-century medical equipment for elderly patients.