OAN’s James Meyers
11:10 AM – Wednesday, October 11, 2023
Former Olympian Mary Lou Retton has been battling a serious case of pneumonia in a hospital intensive care unit, daughters of the gold medalist said.
A post by Retton’s daughter, McKenna Kelley, on Tuesday stated that the Hall of Fame gymnast was critically ill. Her other daughter also confirmed the illness to NBC News.
On a crowd-funding site, Kelley wrote: “My amazing mom, Mary Lou, has a very rare form of pneumonia and is fighting for her life. She is not able to breathe on her own. She’s been in the ICU for over a week now.”
Additionally, Kelley said that her mom was not insured.
“We ask that if you could help in any way, that 1) you PRAY! and 2) if you could help us with finances for the hospital bill,” Kelley wrote on the fundraising page. “ANYTHING, absolutely anything, would be so helpful for my family and my mom.”
On Wednesday morning, the page went over the stated $50,000 goal and has raised almost $175,000 so far.
However, the Olympian’s daughter did not share additional details on her mother’s condition or the health battle she is facing. “Out of respect for her and her privacy, I will not disclose all details.”
According to the National Institutes of Health, pneumonia is an infection that causes the air sacs of the lungs to fill with fluid.
“Although it was stated that this is a rare form of pneumonia, pneumonia is one of the most common reasons patients get admitted to the hospital,” said Dr. Darien Sutton, an emergency physician and ABC News medical correspondent, who is not involved in Retton’s care. “Someone isn’t able to breathe on their own or isn’t able to get enough oxygen and requires additional care that it increases their level of risk and the level of care that they’re needing in the hospital.”
According to her Olympics biography, Retton is famously known for scoring a series of perfect 10s in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, where she became the first ever American to win an Olympic individual all-round gold.
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