Martha Lillard, 78, died quietly at home in Shawnee, Oklahoma, on July 10, 2026. She had polio as a youngster. The disease left her needing a large metal breathing machine called an iron lung. She used the machine for more than 60 years. Doctors later verified her death. No one in the US now depends on such respirators today. The iron lung, once prevalent, is now a few remaining in the United States. Her story stands as a reminder of the challenges faced by polio survivors. She lived through decades of change in respiratory care. She remained in the care of loving family members. Her courage moved local medical historians. The community remembered her with a quiet gathering. Her life spanned the era from the polio crisis to modern vaccine breakthroughs. She outlived many of her contemporaries. The iron lung that sustained her has become a museum piece.