The gold medallist is currently receiving intensive care in a hospital in Texas. She is well-known for her unprecedented accomplishments at the 1984 Summer Olympics. In a touching update, her daughter McKenna Kelley said that Retton, 55, is struggling for her life and needs oxygen therapy to breathe.
Due to this unexpected development, Kelley started a crowdfunding campaign to raise money to help with the high medical costs. Retton’s health journey unfolds as her supporters come together, showing us the vulnerability of even the strongest spirits in the face of illness.
Mary Lou Retton Illness
Olympic gold medalist in gymnastics Mary Lou Retton is being treated in intensive care in a hospital in Texas for pneumonia.
McKenna Kelley, Retton’s daughter, shared an Instagram story on Tuesday. Kelley said, “The 55-year-old Retton, who became the first American woman to win the Olympic all-around title, is “fighting for her life” and not able to breathe on her own.”
Retton has been in an intensive care unit at the hospital for more than a week, according to an entry titled “MaryLouRettonsFight” on the crowdfunding platform Spotfund, written by Kelley. She also “has a very rare form of pneumonia.”
On Retton’s behalf, Kelley initiated a fundraising effort to help with medical costs. Retton doesn’t have health insurance, so her daughter started a crowdsourcing effort, which has already surpassed its initial goal.
, according to Kelley.
Retton won a gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles at the age of 16, making her an American Olympic movement star. Retton, who was born and raised in Fairmont, West Virginia, also won two silver and two bronze medals at those Olympics to aid in the Americanization of gymnastics, a sport that had previously been dominated by Eastern European nations like Romania and the Soviet Union.
Texas is where Retton, a mother of four, currently resides. In 1986, she stopped competing in gymnastics but continued to appear in commercials. In addition, she had a number of cinematic and television appearances, including one on “Dancing with the Stars.” In 2018, she and Shannon Kelley, her spouse, divorced.
Who is Mary Lou Retton?
Born in Fairmont, West Virginia, on January 24, 1968, Mary Lou Retton is a former gymnast. Although she started her career at a young age, it wasn’t until 1983 that she became a household name in the gymnastics world.
After winning the American Cup that year, Retton received attention, and the following year, she competed for Team USA at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, California. After retiring, she continued to work on television, and her picture appeared on the Wheaties cereal box.
Did Mary Lou Retton Win the Olympic Gold Medal?
Retton suffered a knee injury just before the 1984 Olympics and required immediate surgery. A lot of people thought that the injury would prevent her from competing, but she quickly recovered and went on to change history.
Retton achieved flawless 10s on the floor and vault during the Los Angeles Olympics, making her the first American in history to win the individual all-around gold medal. Retton also won bronze in the floor and uneven bars events and silver in the vault and team competition.
Retton remembered, according to the United States Olympic & Paralympic Museum, “I can’t describe how I felt.” “I had goosebumps going up and down me. I knew from the takeoff, I knew from the run – I just knew it.” Retton’s Olympic accomplishment aided in her 1997 induction into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame.
