Polio Patient Martha Lillard Passes Away at 78

Martha Lillard, who was just 5 years old when diagnosed with polio, relied on an iron lung throughout her life. She passed away on June 26 in Oklahoma, as confirmed by her sister. At 78, Lillard was noted as the last U.S. polio patient who used the machine.

Cindy McVey, Lillard’s younger sister, shared with The Associated Press that doctors initially predicted Lillard would not live past 20. “She had this incredible enthusiasm for life,” McVey said. “She really made the most of her circumstances.”

McVey believes that long-haul COVID-19 contributed to Lillard’s passing. According to the death certificate, chronic pulmonary failure and post-polio syndrome were listed as causes.

In her iron lung, a machine that regulated her breathing by fluctuating air pressure, Lillard navigated life as best she could. As a child, she attended school for two hours a day, supplemented by home tutoring. In high school, she connected with her teachers via an intercom system.

Family road trips were possible thanks to a custom trailer built for the iron lung, and her father would often call ahead to ensure that hotels had doors wide enough for it. Surprisingly, Lillard even drove a car for some time.

McVey recalls, “To me, it was just normal.”

Polio was once viewed as a dire threat, causing countless cases of paralysis, particularly among young children.

The introduction of vaccines in 1955 led to a dramatic drop in cases, with the annual number falling below 100 in the 1960s and to fewer than 10 in the 1970s. By 1979, polio was declared eliminated in the U.S.

Later on, the internet became a crucial tool for Lillard, letting her stay informed and learn more about her disease, which had left her paralyzed from the neck down.

With therapy, she managed to regain some use of her left arm and her legs, but movements were limited. Despite these challenges, she lived independently for many years, preparing her own meals.

Interestingly, it was online where Lillard met her future husband. After the September 11 attacks, she sought to grasp the situation better and ended up in a chat room where she struck up an online friendship with a man in Egypt, lasting over 20 years.

In February, she and Baha Salh finally married after he was able to secure a visa to come to Oklahoma.

“They were true soul mates,” McVey said. “He’s devastated.”

Lillard caught COVID-19 twice during the pandemic. At that time, her lung capacity was already at less than 25%. In her final years, her ability to breathe deteriorated, leading her to spend nearly all her time in the iron lung.

McVey remembered her sister as someone who was artistic and creative. Lillard composed poems and songs, even writing her own obituary, which a funeral home has shared online. She volunteered at the Humane Society and had a passion for Beagles, taking part in animal rescue efforts on social media.

Later on, Lillard updated her obituary to note that she “died of long-haul Covid,” but McVey added her date of death afterward.

In recent years, both sisters had been searching for someone to repair the iron lung—the last of several Lillard had used.

“But now that she’s gone, we don’t need that anymore,” McVey said, fighting back tears.