Due to a spinal deformity caused by the polio, she was unable to change to a portable breathing device introduced in the late 1950s.
[citation needed] Odell was among the individuals who used an iron lung for an exceptionally long period, depending on it for nearly 60 years.
Odell's iron lung, measuring seven feet in length and weighing 750 pounds, operated by generating alternating positive and negative pressures to facilitate inhalation and exhalation.
Shortly after the book was published, Odell met former Vice President Al Gore at a Christmas Gala in her honor.
[1] This book was briefly mentioned by actress Jane Seymour in her 2004 work Remarkable Changes: Turning Life's Challenges into Opportunities.
To help the family, the West Tennessee Healthcare Foundation and the Campbell Street Church of Christ established the Dianne Odell Fund.
Family members attempted to use the emergency hand pump attached to the iron lung to keep her breathing, but their efforts were unsuccessful.