Martha Lillard died on June 26 in Oklahoma. She was 78 years old. She was the last person in the US who used an iron lung to breathe.

Martha Lillard 於 6 月 26 日在奧克拉荷馬州去世，享年 78 歲。她是美國最後一名使用鐵肺呼吸的人。

Martha got polio when she was five years old. She could not move her body from the neck down. She used a big machine called an iron lung to help her breathe for many years. She went to school and learned a lot.

Martha 五歲時染上了小兒麻痺症。她的身體從頸部以下都無法移動。多年來，她使用一台稱為「鐵肺」的大型機器來幫助呼吸。她堅持上學並學到了很多知識。

Later, the internet helped Martha. She met a man from Egypt named Baha Salh online. They talked for twenty years. Then, Baha came to the US and they got married in February.

後來，網路幫助了 Martha。她在網上認識了一位名叫 Baha Salh 的埃及男人。他們聊了二十年，隨後 Baha 來到美國，他們在二月結婚。

In her last years, Martha got COVID-19 two times. This made her very sick. Also, it was hard to find people to fix her old iron lung machine because the technology was very old.

在她的晚年，Martha 感染了兩次 COVID-19，這讓她病得很嚴重。此外，由於技術過於陳舊，很難找到人來修理她那台舊的鐵肺機。

Now, no one in the United States uses an iron lung to live.

現在，美國已沒有人使用鐵肺來維持生命。

Martha Lillard, the last person in the United States who relied on an iron lung to breathe, passed away on June 26 in Oklahoma at the age of 78.

Martha Lillard 是美國最後一名依賴鐵肺呼吸的人，她於 6 月 26 日在奧克拉荷馬州去世，享年 78 歲。

Lillard's medical challenges began at age five when she was diagnosed with polio. This caused paralysis from the neck down, meaning she needed a negative-pressure ventilator for the rest of her life. Although doctors originally predicted she would only live for twenty years, Lillard survived for nearly six decades more. She managed to get an education through special arrangements, such as attending primary school for only part of the day and using a phone intercom system to attend Shawnee High School.

Lillard 的醫療挑戰始於五歲時被診斷出患有小兒麻痺。這導致她從頸部以下癱瘓，意味著她餘生都需要使用負壓呼吸機。雖然醫生最初預測她只能活 20 年，但 Lillard 之後又生存了近六十年。她透過特別安排成功完成學業，例如僅在部分時間就讀小學，並使用電話對講系統就讀 Shawnee 高中。

Changes in technology and society helped Lillard gain more independence. For instance, the introduction of vaccines in 1955 eventually stopped the spread of polio in the U.S. by 1979. Furthermore, the internet allowed her to explore her interests and start a long-distance relationship with Baha Salh from Egypt. After communicating online for twenty years, the couple finally met when Baha obtained a visa, and they married in February.

科技與社會的改變幫助 Lillard 獲得更多獨立性。例如，1955 年疫苗的推出，最終在 1979 年前停止了小兒麻痺在美國的傳播。此外，網路讓她能夠探索自己的興趣，並與來自埃及的 Baha Salh 展開一段遠距離戀情。在網上交流 20 年後，Baha 取得了簽證，兩人終於見面，並於 2 月結婚。

In her final years, Lillard's health declined after she contracted COVID-19 twice. Her sister, Cindy McVey, emphasized that long-haul COVID-19 caused this decline, whereas the official death certificate listed chronic lung failure and post-polio syndrome. Additionally, her care became more difficult because there were very few technicians left who knew how to maintain the outdated iron lung technology.

在最後幾年，Lillard 在感染兩次 COVID-19 後健康狀況惡化。她的姐姐 Cindy McVey 強調是長新冠導致健康下降，而官方死亡證明書則列明為慢性肺衰竭與後小兒麻痺症候群。此外，由於已極少有技術人員知道如何維護過時的鐵肺技術，她的護理變得更加困難。

The passing of Martha Lillard marks the end of the era of iron lung dependency in the United States.

Martha Lillard 的去世，標誌著美國依賴鐵肺的時代正式結束。

Martha Lillard, the last individual in the U.S. utilizing an iron lung for respiratory support, died on June 26 in Oklahoma at age 78.

Martha Lillard 是美國最後一名使用鐵肺進行呼吸支持的人，她於 6 月 26 日在奧克拉荷馬州逝世，享年 78 歲。

The subject's medical history commenced at age five with a polio diagnosis, resulting in paralysis from the neck down and a lifelong reliance on a negative-pressure ventilator. Despite a clinical prognosis suggesting a life expectancy of twenty years, Lillard survived for nearly six decades beyond that estimate. Her educational trajectory was facilitated by adaptive measures, including a truncated daily attendance at primary school and the utilization of a telephonic intercom system for secondary education at Shawnee High School.

該對象在五歲時被診斷出患有小兒麻痺症，導致頸部以下癱瘓，且終身依賴負壓呼吸機。儘管臨床預後顯示其預期壽命僅為二十年，但 Lillard 卻在此預估之外生存了近六十年。她的教育進程得益於適應性措施的幫助，包括在小學期間縮短每日出勤時間，以及在 Shawnee 高中就讀中學時使用電話對講系統。

Societal and technological shifts significantly influenced Lillard's autonomy. The availability of vaccines starting in 1955 led to the eventual elimination of routine polio transmission in the U.S. by 1979. Later, the advent of the internet enabled Lillard to pursue intellectual interests and establish a long-term relationship with an Egyptian national, Baha Salh. Following a twenty-year digital correspondence, the pair achieved a legal rapprochement through the acquisition of a visa, culminating in their marriage in February.

社會與科技的轉變顯著影響了 Lillard 的自主權。自 1955 年起疫苗的普及，使得美國在 1979 年最終消除了常規的小兒麻痺症傳播。隨後，網際網路的出現使 Lillard 能夠追求知識興趣，並與一名埃及國民 Baha Salh 建立了長期關係。在經過二十年的數位通信後，兩人透過申請簽證達成法律上的團聚，並於二月結婚。

In the terminal phase of her life, Lillard's health deteriorated following two COVID-19 infections. Her sister, Cindy McVey, attributed the decline to long-haul COVID-19, while the official death certificate cited chronic pulmonary failure and post-polio syndrome. The scarcity of specialized technicians for the maintenance of obsolete iron lung technology further complicated her care in her final years.

在生命的末期，Lillard 在感染兩次 COVID-19 後健康狀況惡化。她的妹妹 Cindy McVey 將此衰退歸因於長新冠，而官方死亡證明書則列為慢性肺衰竭及後小兒麻痺症候群。由於缺乏維護過時鐵肺技術的專業技術人員，使其晚年的護理更加複雜。

The death of Martha Lillard marks the conclusion of the era of iron lung dependency within the United States.

Martha Lillard 的逝世，標誌著美國依賴鐵肺時代的終結。