LAMAMIMET

Martha Ann Lillard was born on June 8, 1948, in Shawnee, Oklahoma. At the age of five, in 1953, she contracted polio, which left her paralyzed from the neck down. As a result, she required the use of an iron lung, a negative-pressure ventilator, to assist her breathing while she slept. Lillard spent six months in the hospital before returning home, where she adapted to life with the machine. She was educated at home and later regained limited mobility in her left arm and legs through therapy, enabling her to drive and live independently for many years. Lillard was known for her resilience and zest for life, even taking road trips in a custom trailer designed to accommodate her iron lung. In 2024, following the death of Paul Alexander, she became the last known person in the United States still using an iron lung. Lillard married twice, including a union in early 2026 to a man she had corresponded with for over two decades. She also engaged in volunteer work and wrote poetry. Her health declined during the COVID-19 pandemic, and she died on June 26, 2026, at the age of 78 from complications related to long-haul COVID and post-polio syndrome.