JSJennifer Sinco Keleher

1. Article · Jul 11, 2026 · JENNIFER SINCO KELEHER

   Martha Lillard, last US polio patient using iron lung, dies at 78 in Oklahoma - Daily Sitka Sentinel (opens the original)

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   Martha Lillard, the last U.S. polio patient using an iron lung, has died at 78 in Oklahoma. Her sister, Cindy McVey, attributes her death to long-haul COVID-19. Diagnosed with polio at 5, Lillard … This item is available in full to subscribers. We have recently launched a new and improved website. To continue reading, you will need to either log into your subscriber account or purchase a subscription. If you are already a subscriber, you can create your free website account by clicking here. Oth

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2. Article · Jul 11, 2026 · Jennifer Sinco Keleher, The Associated Press - Jul 10, 2026 / 6:13 pm | Story: 624220

   Martha Lillard, last US polio patient using iron lung, dies at 78 in Oklahoma (opens the original)

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   Martha Lillard had just turned 5 when she was diagnosed with polio and depended on an iron lung to live. She died last month in Oklahoma, the last U.S. polio patient who used the machine, her sister said. She was 78. “They told her she wasn't supposed to live past 20 years old,” Lillard's younger sister, Cindy McVey, told The Associated Press on Friday. “She had the enthusiasm and the drive to continue living and make the best of her life.” While McVey doesn't know the official cause of death, s

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