Martha Lillard, the last US polio patient using an iron lung, dies at 78.
Martha Lillard died on June 26, 2026, in Oklahoma at age 78. She was the last known polio patient in the United States to use an iron lung, having depended on the machine since contracting polio at age 5. Her sister attributes her death to complications from long-haul COVID-19.
3
Divergence score
3 outlets covered it, splitting into 3 framing camps across 3 bias groups.
3 camps
3 bias groups
The spectrum · how 3 outlets placed this story
LeftCenterRight
CNN
AP News
NY Post
Supportive of action
Neutral
Dismissive
Critical
Alarmist
International angle
The split, in one line
All outlets share the same AP-sourced narrative. CNN and the NY Post add minor details about her paralysis and marriage, while AP provides the cleanest wire-style report.
How each outlet covered it
Lightly covered so far
Too few outlets to map a left-right split. Here is each take as it stands.
Sparse coverage · 3 outlets
“Martha Lillard, last US polio patient using iron lung, dies at 78 in Oklahoma”
“Martha Lillard, last US polio patient using iron lung, dies at 78 in Oklahoma”
“Oklahoma woman Martha Lillard, last US polio patient using iron lung, dead at 78”
6 tracked claims across 3 outlets
Fact ledger
All6Corroborated6
3/3
Corroborated
Martha Lillard died on June 26, 2026, in Oklahoma at age 78.
Corroborated
Disputed
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