Lillard was hospitalized for six months. At the hospital, she was placed in an iron lung, an airtight metal chamber about two meters long that acts as a kind of giant ventilator, helping patients like her breathe.
Patients lie inside the device, with only their heads facing the outside. A seal around the patient's neck creates a vacuum while the device acts like a human diaphragm, creating pressure so that a person's lungs fill with air and then deflate.
In an interview with NBC News in 2013, she recalled the exact moment she was put into the device. “When I first got into this, it was a huge relief,” she said.
Lillard has been using the device ever since. Although most patients used the iron lung for only a few weeks or months, always depending on the severity of the paralysis, they continue in the same way to this day. Therefore, he was unable to have the same experiences as other children, such as going to school.
In an interview with Radio Diaries, she said she had tried other forms of ventilation, but had not adapted. He considered, “I have tried all forms of ventilation. The iron lung is the most efficient, the best, and the most comfortable.”
I just want people to understand that I don't want to be in an iron lung. this is not true. I'd rather not need to. But sometimes when I get there I say “Thank you!” It's great to get into this. That's what was there and what saved my life. I know that's the only thing that kept me here.
Martha Lillard on Radio Diaries
