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Woman dies after life spent in iron lung
AP ^ | May 28, 2008 | AP

Posted on 05/29/2008 12:48:16 AM PDT by Westlander

For almost 60 years, Dianne Odell lived inside a 7-foot-long metal tube, unable to breathe outside it but determined not to let it destroy her spirit.

Odell, 61, died Wednesday when a power failure shut off electricity to the tube and stopped the pump drawing air into her lungs.

(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...


TOPICS: Health/Medicine; Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: death; electricity; iron; lung
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To: spokeshave; CholeraJoe
Family members were unable to get an emergency generator working after a power failure knocked out electricity to the Odell family's residence near Jackson, about 80 miles northeast of Memphis, brother-in-law Will Beyer said.

"We did everything we could do, but we couldn't keep her breathing," Beyer said. "Dianne had gotten a lot weaker over the past several months, and she just didn't have the strength to keep going."

Odell, who contracted polio when she was 3 years old, lived with her parents, Freeman and Geneva Odell, and their house was equipped with an emergency generator designed to fire up immediately in a power failure.

"But for some reason, it didn't come on," Beyer said.


41 posted on 05/29/2008 11:13:36 AM PDT by Virginia Ridgerunner ("We must not forget that there is a war on and our troops are in the thick of it!"--Duncan Hunter)
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To: Dante3

Secularists see a not so perfect body and they want to destroy it. They may frame it with religious platitudes but that’s just a ruse. How many religious platitudes did we hear re: Terri from trolls? Too many. Disabled people can lead happy lives if they are given the chance. If they aren’t happy, that’s their problem but they all have a right to live.


42 posted on 05/29/2008 11:28:49 AM PDT by floriduh voter ( LAUREN RICHARDSON NEEDS YOU. Pls visit www.lifeforlauren.org)
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To: floriduh voter

Exactly.


43 posted on 05/29/2008 11:38:41 AM PDT by Dante3
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To: Virginia Ridgerunner
These people were idiots. See the handle on the foot end of the iron lung? It's the manual operation lever. By moving it back and forth 12-15 times per minute, you can generate positive and negative pressure sufficient to inflate and deflate the occupant's lungs and keep them breathing.

I pumped one for 2 hours during a power outage in 1976.

44 posted on 05/29/2008 11:50:18 AM PDT by CholeraJoe (Skirting the line between rakishly charming and frighteningly maniacal.)
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To: Dante3; Lesforlife

Exactly.


45 posted on 05/29/2008 11:51:00 AM PDT by floriduh voter ( LAUREN RICHARDSON NEEDS YOU. Pls visit www.lifeforlauren.org)
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To: CholeraJoe

Oops, it appears in the 2nd photo she was in an Emerson as well. I’m not sure if they all had the manual pump.

It says in the article they did attempt manual pumping with no results. My guess is the power and backup went out way before they reached her. A pretty painful way to die.

May she rest in peace.


46 posted on 05/29/2008 3:11:20 PM PDT by varyouga ("Rove is some mysterious God of politics & mind control" - DU 10-24-06)
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To: varyouga

I’ve seen dozens of Emerson Iron Lungs and the manual pump is an integral part of the machine. I’m not sure it would work at all if the manual handle were removed, since the same mechanism works the bellows whether the motor is running or it’s being operated manually.

If they did try to pump manually and it didn’t work, then there was a major failure of a straightforward system. I guess time has to be up sometime.

RIP


47 posted on 05/29/2008 3:31:04 PM PDT by CholeraJoe (Skirting the line between rakishly charming and frighteningly maniacal.)
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To: CholeraJoe

She was gone before they realized. It could take as little as 5-10 minutes.


48 posted on 05/29/2008 3:34:51 PM PDT by varyouga ("Rove is some mysterious God of politics & mind control" - DU 10-24-06)
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To: Westlander; floriduh voter

“when a power failure shut off electricity to the tube and stopped the pump drawing air into her lungs.”

How sad, and to think a generator, even a small one, would have saved her.


49 posted on 05/29/2008 5:19:09 PM PDT by Sun (Pray that God sends us good leaders. Please say a prayer now.)
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To: Nailbiter

And it still is continuing a day later. Now read #49. What planet from what universe are these people from?


50 posted on 05/29/2008 8:28:36 PM PDT by Westlander (Unleash the Neutron Bomb)
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To: Westlander; informavoracious; larose; RJR_fan; Prospero; Conservative Vermont Vet; ...
+

Freep-mail me to get on or off my pro-life and Catholic List:

Add me / Remove me

Please ping me to note-worthy Pro-Life or Catholic threads, or other threads of interest.

51 posted on 05/29/2008 8:33:38 PM PDT by narses (...the spirit of Trent is abroad once more.)
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To: Niteranger68

“The poster made a valid point”

The poster failed to read the article, and so was unaware that they *did* have a generator, rather than having been too cheap to spring for $1,000, as he said.


52 posted on 05/29/2008 8:45:05 PM PDT by dsc
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To: Westlander

In these cases it is enough that you or I have read article.


53 posted on 05/29/2008 10:53:17 PM PDT by Nailbiter
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To: dsc
"Family members were unable to get an emergency generator working after a power failure knocked out electricity to the Odell family's residence near Jackson, about 80 miles northeast of Memphis, brother-in-law Will Beyer said."

Sounds to me like they went scrambling to start the generator after the failure. It did not sound like an automatic system with a transfer switch. In other words, it was a cheap system. I'm not sure what the amp draw is for the iron lung, but $1000 would have gone a long way to buying a UPS that would not need to be "started" if power was lost. If can protect the data on my computer from a power loss with a UPS and I'm sure the family loved her more than I love my computer.

54 posted on 05/30/2008 3:22:28 AM PDT by Niteranger68 (Do not run from the Republican Party. Take it back!)
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To: Niteranger68

“Sounds to me like they went scrambling to start the generator after the failure. It did not sound like an automatic system with a transfer switch.”

It was an automatic system with a transfer switch. The system didn’t work, as happens on planet Earth.


55 posted on 05/30/2008 5:25:27 PM PDT by dsc
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To: Niteranger68

Hey ya babe a don’t look down..
I stand my ground.

BTW Check out the links here.


56 posted on 05/30/2008 10:40:44 PM PDT by Global2010
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To: narses

I pinged Salvation (she is still getting hip literally) but
Yes this is love of the gift of life.

Worthy Ping.


57 posted on 05/30/2008 10:46:45 PM PDT by Global2010
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To: Niteranger68

Please come see me.

I will share.

I don’t cook.
Don’t have time.

Then after a week with KV tell us all how you really feel.


58 posted on 05/30/2008 10:52:17 PM PDT by Global2010 (Anti Freepers are coming out like sugar ants around here. hmmmmmmmm)
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To: dsc
It was an automatic system with a transfer switch. The system didn’t work, as happens on planet Earth.

That's why, when someone's life is at risk, you use a dual backup system with a fuel driven generator and a battery powered UPS. If tested regularly, the odds of dual failure on that type of system are miniscule. A small investment in design and equipment could have easily prevented this and made planet earth a better place.

59 posted on 05/31/2008 4:30:14 AM PDT by Niteranger68 (Do not run from the Republican Party. Take it back!)
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To: Niteranger68

Every time you say “they shoulda” and I say “they did,” you raise the bar.

If we continue, you’ll be saying they shoulda had their own, dedicated hydroelectric plant with nuclear power backup.


60 posted on 05/31/2008 5:45:57 AM PDT by dsc
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