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Last American polio survivor in an iron lung dies at 78

Martha Lillard, the last known U.S. polio survivor dependent on an iron lung, has died at age 78 in Oklahoma.

By · Published July 15, 2026  15:56 UTC · Updated July 15, 2026  18:29 UTC

27sources
27articles
35velocity
+0%since first seen
96d agofirst detected
Text:
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27distinct sources shown
40velocity measurements
1language editions checked
All brief claims passed the second-source checkbrief evidence status

Measured timeline

📍 Where it landed

Martha Lillard, the last known U.S. polio patient using an iron lung, died in Oklahoma at age 78. Her passing marked the end of the last American survivor using an iron lung.

Epilogue added 90d ago, after coverage quieted.

Answered

Who was Martha Lillard?

She was the last known polio survivor in the United States who used an iron lung.

Where did Martha Lillard live?

She lived in Oklahoma, with KOSU reporting she died in Shawnee.

What contributed to her death according to some reports?

Reports from Yahoo and People.com state her iron lung began to break down and there was no one available to repair it.

Where it stands

⚡ Executive Intelligence Takeaways Corroborated across 27 independent newsrooms
  • Velocity & Diffusion: Coverage exploded across 27 distinct news outlets with 27 published articles, achieving a live velocity of 35.
  • Primary Driver: Martha Lillard, the last known U.S. polio survivor dependent on an iron lung, has died at age 78 in Oklahoma.
  • Predictive Outlook: Archynetys algorithmic models forecast this story will fade from trending status over the next 24 hours.
  • Source Integrity: Verified strictly against primary headline reporting under zero-hallucination protocols.

Martha Lillard, the final American polio patient using an iron lung to survive, has passed away at 78 years old. Lillard lived in Oklahoma and had been diagnosed with polio during her childhood.

Coverage from AP News, CNN, NBC News, and The Guardian emphasizes her status as the last known iron lung user in the United States. Reports from Yahoo and People.com specifically note that the machine began to break down and no one was able to repair it.

Future updates may provide further details via an obituary from the Springfield News-Sun or additional biographical information regarding her life story as highlighted by Cleveland.com.

Synthesized by Archynetys from the headlines below under a strict no-invention contract. ✓ fact-checked: all claims supported by sources Updated 90d ago.

The reporting (27)

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Topics

Martha Lillard Polio Iron Lung Oklahoma

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