Dianne Odell, 61, died when family members watching her were unable to start an emergency generator to run the seven-foot long, 750-pound cylindrical chamber that helped her lungs work. Emergency crews that rushed to Odell's home near Jackson were unable to give help.
Polio left Odell unable to breathe at age three and she had to be placed inside the iron lung with only her head outside. The machine produces pressure to make her lungs expand and contract.
Portable breathing apparatuses that later became available could not be used by Odell so she had to rely on the iron lung.
Despite her condition and limitation, Odell was able to finish high school by studying at home and briefly took up psychology at Freed-Hardeman University on a scholarship. She also wrote a children's book using a voice-activated computer.
Odell is survived by her parents and several siblings.
