re: Dianne Odell spent 60 years encased in an iron lung only to die due to a power outage

Honestly, I'm not sure how anyone who willingly subjects themselves to that is considered mentally healthy.

Talk about a shite existence.

My dad had polio in the 50s - he had said he was in an iron lung for about 9 months

I remember reading an article about a guy in an iron lung. They quit making them a long time ago and most of them have been scrapped for parts. He was worried that his would break and they wouldn't be able to fix it. Sad to live like that but has to be even worse knowing you're dependent on an obsolete piece of equipment and there's no longer any economic incentive to maintain it.

Also, I didn't know that Polio could rebound and come back later in life like the shingles. I lived across the street from an old woman who had that happen. Recovered from a mild case of polio as a kid but 60 years later it came back and bit her in the arse.

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as a powerful reminder of the importance of vaccination

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Nice try, bub. I still ain't taking that Covid shot.

Lasted longer that Cersei on the Iron Throne

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What ailment does a person have to be put into this thing/

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It's usually a paralyzed diaphragm....

Iron lung, even though modern ones are made of fiberglass, is a more natural way to breath. It puts negative pressure on your body creating an inhaled breath, then relaxes allowing the body to exhale. It's basically what's called a negative pressure ventilator. They used it back then because positive pressure ventilators weren't around just yet.


You don't see many iron lungs these days because positive pressure ventilators are so advanced and small these days, it allows people to live a life outside any house or facility.

Steve Gleason stays alive with a positive pressure ventilator.

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Better than the Iron Butt

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How the frick is something like this not on battery backup?

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Backup system failed.

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Odell died on May 28, 2008, at age 61. A power failure and the failure of an emergency generator cut off her breathing device's functions. Family members attempted to use the emergency hand pump attached to the iron lung to keep her breathing, but their efforts were unsuccessful.

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How the frick is something like this not on battery backup?

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Odell's life was threatened by power outages in 1957 and 1974 which disabled her respirator. However, she survived with the help of her family who hand-pumped the respirator until power was restored. In 1995, the Tennessee Valley Authority provided the Odell family with a generator large enough to power the house in case of future power outages.

Odell died on May 28, 2008, at age 61. A power failure and the failure of an emergency generator cut off her breathing device's functions. Family members attempted to use the emergency hand pump attached to the iron lung to keep her breathing, but their efforts were unsuccessful.

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Wiki