Martha Lillard, 78, died quietly at home in Shawnee, Oklahoma, on July 10, 2026. She had polio since her youth. The disease left her needing a substantial metal breathing machine called an iron lung. She used the machine for over 60 years. Doctors later verified her death. No one in the US currently depends on such respirators today. The iron lung, once widely used, is now a rarity in the United States. Her story serves as a reminder of the challenges faced by polio survivors. She lived through a long span of change in respiratory care. She remained in the care of loving family members. Her courage encouraged local medical historians. The community remembered her with a small 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 showpiece.