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Iron Lung

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Seven decades inside an iron lung: a polio survivor's remarkable life
world1 month ago

Seven decades inside an iron lung: a polio survivor's remarkable life

Paul Alexander contracted polio at six and spent more than 70 years in an iron lung, becoming the world’s longest-known survivor to rely on the device. He learned glossopharyngeal breathing to spend more time out of the machine, earned a UT Austin education and a law degree, and ran a Dallas practice with a devoted network of family and caregivers. After a 2015 replacement iron lung was found, Guinness World Records recognized him in 2023 as the longest-living iron-lung user; he died in 2024 at 78. His life illustrates polio’s history, the vaccine era, and the resilience of independence-seeking individuals with disabilities.

via The Times of India|
#disability-rights#guinness-world-records#iron-lung
Decades in an iron lung: a polio survivor’s relentless will to live
health1 month ago

Decades in an iron lung: a polio survivor’s relentless will to live

Martha Lillard, the last U.S. polio patient to rely on an iron lung, spent hours daily in the device yet lived a full life—driving a modified car, painting landscapes, and caring for her beagles—before dying at 78 with post-polio syndrome and chronic pulmonary failure listed on her death certificate; her sister attributes part of her death to long Covid. The piece explains how the iron lung uses negative pressure to inflate and deflate the lungs, recalls polio’s historical toll and the near-eradication of the disease after vaccination, and notes current vaccine hesitancy as a concern for public health.

via Yahoo News Canada|
#health#iron-lung#long-covid
Final chapter for the iron lung era as polio survivor dies at 78
health1 month ago

Final chapter for the iron lung era as polio survivor dies at 78

Martha Lillard, the last known U.S. polio patient dependent on an iron lung, died at 78 in Oklahoma; contracted polio at age five and spent most of her life in the device, yet she learned via tutoring and traveled with her family. Her death certificate cites chronic pulmonary failure and post-polio syndrome, highlighting both the disease’s history and the vaccine-era decline of polio in the U.S.

via The Guardian|
#health#iron-lung#obituary
Last U.S. Iron Lung User Dies at 78, Polio Survivor Remembered
health1 month ago

Last U.S. Iron Lung User Dies at 78, Polio Survivor Remembered

An Oklahoma polio survivor who was the last American to rely on an iron lung died at 78. Martha Lillard, diagnosed with polio as a child, lived with the device for breathing after paralysis, contracted COVID-19 twice during the pandemic, and died of chronic pulmonary failure linked to post-polio syndrome and long-haul COVID (death certificate notes). She had about 25% lung capacity before COVID and had recently married a man from Egypt. The story marks a historic era when polio and iron lungs were common, before polio was eliminated in the U.S. by 1979.

via Fox News|
#covid-19#health#iron-lung
Last U.S. polio iron lung patient dies at 78 in Oklahoma, marking the end of an era
health1 month ago

Last U.S. polio iron lung patient dies at 78 in Oklahoma, marking the end of an era

Martha Lillard, diagnosed with polio at age five and dependent on an iron lung for decades, died June 26 in Oklahoma at 78, becoming the last U.S. polio patient to use the device. Her death certificate lists chronic pulmonary failure and post-polio syndrome, with long-haul COVID cited as a contributing factor. Lillard led a life of adaptation and independence, learning online, forming long-distance connections, and even marrying after her husband was able to visit, before spending years mostly at home due to breathing difficulties.

via NBC News|
#health#iron-lung#long-covid
Final U.S. polio iron-lung survivor dies at 78 in Oklahoma
health1 month ago

Final U.S. polio iron-lung survivor dies at 78 in Oklahoma

Martha Lillard, diagnosed with polio as a child and dependent on an iron lung for most of her life, died at 78 in Oklahoma, becoming the last U.S. polio patient to rely on the life‑support device. A death certificate lists chronic pulmonary failure and post-polio syndrome as causes; she lived with disability from childhood, attended school with a helper, and later built a life online that led to marriage with a man from Egypt after meeting him in a chat. She battled COVID-19 in later years, and long‑haul COVID-19 is noted as a contributing factor in her decline.

via CNN|
#health#iron-lung#long-haul-covid-19
Oklahoma polio survivor, final iron lung patient in the U.S., dies at 78
health1 month ago

Oklahoma polio survivor, final iron lung patient in the U.S., dies at 78

Martha Lillard, who contracted polio at age 5 and spent much of her life in an iron lung, died in Shawnee, Oklahoma on June 26 at 78. She was the last U.S. polio patient to rely on the iron lung, defying doctors’ early predictions, and her sister says long-haul COVID-19 contributed to her death; the death certificate lists chronic pulmonary failure and post-polio syndrome as causes. Lillard led a mostly homebound life, but stayed connected online, even meeting her husband after years of online chats.

via New York Post|
#health#iron-lung#long-covid
Last U.S. Polio Survivor Dies as Iron Lung Breaks Down
health1 month ago

Last U.S. Polio Survivor Dies as Iron Lung Breaks Down

Martha Ann Lillard, who contracted polio in 1953 and spent decades breathing in an iron lung because modern respirators could not meet her needs, died at 78 after the machine began breaking down and could not be repaired, following a long battle with COVID/long COVID; a tornado had previously knocked out power to her device, underscoring access-to-care challenges for aging life-support equipment.

via AOL.com|
#health#iron-lung#long-covid
Final Iron Lung User Dies in Oklahoma at 78
health1 month ago

Final Iron Lung User Dies in Oklahoma at 78

Martha Lillard, the last known American to rely on an iron lung, died in Shawnee, Oklahoma, on June 26 at age 78. Contracting polio in 1953, she spent much of her life in the device, initially using it almost full-time, then only at night as she got healthier. She faced equipment failures and a power outage during an ice storm, and died after a battle with long-haul COVID-19. Lillard was active in her community and pursued creative arts, including painting and music for the left-hand piano.

via KOSU|
#health#iron-lung#long-haul-covid-19
K-Pop Concert Film Stray Kids Leads a Slow Box Office Weekend
entertainment6 months ago

K-Pop Concert Film Stray Kids Leads a Slow Box Office Weekend

Stray Kids: The dominATE Experience led Friday’s domestic box office with about $3 million in 1,724 theaters as the Super Bowl weekend lull set in; Send Help took No. 2 with $2.8 million on its second Friday and is projected to add roughly $9–10 million by Sunday for a $34 million domestic total. Solo Mio followed with about $2.7 million and is forecast to reach around $6.6 million by Sunday. Iron Lung earned $2.04 million Friday and could finish the weekend around $5.7 million for a $30.7 million total. Dracula added about $2.03 million and is expected to finish near $4.1 million by Sunday.

via Variety|
#entertainment#iron-lung#send-help
Markiplier’s Iron Lung Demonstrates YouTube Fame Can Move Theaters
entertainment6 months ago

Markiplier’s Iron Lung Demonstrates YouTube Fame Can Move Theaters

A low-budget, Markiplier-led adaptation of the indie game Iron Lung defied expectations by earning over $20 million worldwide after landing a wide theatrical release on more than 3,000 screens without a distributor. The film leverages Markiplier’s massive YouTube following to drive audience demand, turning online clout into a real box-office showing, even as the live-action, single-character format and game-like storytelling feel uneven compared with its interactive source. The success suggests online audiences can disrupt traditional releases, though the approach isn’t easily replicable for most creators or studios.

via theverge.com|
#box-office#entertainment#horror-film
Markiplier’s Iron Lung Proves YouTube Creators Can Lead Theaters
entertainment6 months ago

Markiplier’s Iron Lung Proves YouTube Creators Can Lead Theaters

Markiplier’s film Iron Lung, written, directed, starred in, and self-distributed by the YouTuber, opened on 4,000+ screens to about $17 million domestic and over $20 million globally on a $3 million budget; after pursuing and rejecting studio deals that would cede control, he chose independence, credits fans and theater staff for driving demand, and argues creator-led projects can headline theaters while challenging the industry stigma—with hints at future collaborations only on favorable terms.

via The Hollywood Reporter|
#box-office#entertainment#iron-lung