What it was like to live in an Iron Lung (Video)
“Developed during the 1920s, the iron lung was invented to help individuals with polio breathe after their torso and abdominal muscles ceased to work. Improvements to the iron lung were made throughout the 20th century, but the almost-obsolete hospital device still looks a lot like a machine used in interrogations or a cruel medical tool.”
The Iron Lung and Polio (Video)
"The Iron Lung and Polio" by Mark Rockoff, MD for OPENPediatrics
Thomas Fetterman
His three months in the hospital included an iron lung, a rocking bed and painful physical therapy. He learned how to stay positive in the face of adversity.
Staying Positive in the Face of Adversity - My Time Inside an Iron Lung (Video)
Thomas Fetterman caught polio when he was 8. He needed an iron lung. Despite his many challenges he always looks for the positive aspects of his experiences.
What Life Was Like Trapped Inside an Iron Lung (Video)
“For those who found themselves needing to be placed inside an iron lung, the experience could be bewildering, unfamiliar and even downright frightening especially for the number of young children who were unfortunate enough to contract polio.”
The Last Few Polio Survivors – The Last of the Iron Lungs (Video)
The Last of the Iron Lungs (Video)
The Last of the Iron Lungs
All the nurses were saying, ‘Just a second, you’ll be breathing in just a second.’ ” Martha Lillard
“The ‘yellow submarine’ is my necessary, trusted, mechanical friend.” Mona Randolph
“If there’s so many people who’ve not been- children, especially - have not been vaccinated . . . I don’t even want to think about it.” Paul Alexander
The Autumn Ghost: How the Battle Against a Polio Epidemic Revolutionized Modern Medical Care
“The Autumn Ghost: How the Battle Against a Polio Epidemic Revolutionized Modern Medical Care by Hannah Wunsch is an enlightening and deeply impactful story of this critical moment in medical history. “
By Pamela Sergey
Medical Advances as a Result of Polio -”The Autumn Ghost”
"I hope this will help people remember what it was like BEFORE the vaccine. It was an eye-opener for me to see how much advocacy comes from polio survivors.“
By the PA Polio Network
Polio Revisited Part 3 - the Iron Lung (Video)
The Iron Lung - Polio Revisited Part 3 (Video)
Decades after polio, Martha is among the last to still rely on an iron lung to breath
On June 8, 1953, Martha Lillard celebrated her fifth birthday with a party at an amusement park in Oklahoma. A little over a week later, she woke up with a sore throat and a pain in her neck.
What is it like to have polio?
I woke up one morning in 1953 with a very painful, stiff neck and back. I was thirteen years old, and I’d never known anything like this.
Polio Revisited - (In it’s Entirety)
“Polio Revisited examines the highly infectious viral disease that caused paralysis and in some cases death for thousands of people, nationally and internationally.” David Wasser
Kat: In Our Own Words
Kat caught polio at 14 months old. She was on an iron lung and wore leg braces until she was 5.
Vale David Salamone (Video)
David contracted polio from the live polio vaccine when he was a baby. It was later discovered he had a serious underlying immune disorder, which meant he was susceptible to many infections, including polio.