June 26 marked the death of Martha Lillard in Oklahoma at 78, ending the life of the last known U.S. polio survivor still relying on an iron lung.
Long-haul COVID-19 was cited by her sister as the likely cause after Lillard contracted the virus twice; she had less than 25% lung capacity before COVID and spent nearly 24 hours a day in the machine for the past two years.
Polio struck Lillard at age 5, yet she finished high school through an intercom setup, lived alone for years, cooked for herself and even drove despite paralysis that left her with limited movement in one arm.
Her death closes a chapter from a disease once feared nationwide before vaccines introduced in 1955 drove U.S. cases below 100 in the 1960s, below 10 in the 1970s and to elimination of routine spread by 1979.