Seven months after being hospitalized with a serious illness, legend of Olympic gymnastics Mary Lou Retton said her doctors “still don’t know exactly” what disease continues to attack her lungs.
Retton, 56, told Entertainment Tonight in a story published Wednesday that she still has to breathe through oxygen tubes in her nose every day as she continues to recover.
“They still don’t know what’s going on with me,” she said. “They call it a rare form of pneumonia.”
The retired gymnast spent about a month in intensive care in October 2023 and said she suffered permanent damage.
“My lungs are quite damaged and will remain that way forever,” she said.
“I’m not really a depressed person, but this experience really changed me (mentally), and I’ve struggled with that,” she said.
However, she has tried to maintain a positive attitude.
“I have a lot to look forward to, and I know it,” she said.
Retton told “Entertainment Tonight” that her health issues “have been difficult.”
“Give me a hip to rehabilitate, give me a shoulder,” she said. “The lungs are a different beast.”
Retton’s daughters have been crucial to her recovery
Retton’s daughters revealed that on October 10, 2023, she was in the ICU with pneumonia “fighting for her life.” At the time, Retton’s daughters asked for financial support on a crowdfunding page, explaining that Retton had no health insurance. .
Retton is mother to daughters McKenna Kelley, Shayla Schrepfer, Skyla Kelley and Emma Jean Kelley. According to People, she shares all four daughters with former University of Texas quarterback Shannon Kelley, whom she divorced in 2018.
In the weeks that followed, her daughters kept followers updated on her ongoing battle and thanked them for their continued support.
After Retton left the hospital, her daughters shared life updates with their mother.
In an update on her condition on Thanksgiving 2023, Retton — who became a standout in the world of ’80s gymnastics as a teenager — wrote on Instagram that her heart was “overflowing with deep gratitude” that she was “slowly improving.”
About a month earlier, on October 30, she shared her first statement on Instagram since being hospitalized for pneumonia.
“I am beyond blessed to have the opportunity to make this statement,” she wrote in her post on her personal account. “I am overwhelmed by all the love and support in the world as I fight. I am forever grateful to all of you!”
“I am slowly recovering with my family and remain very positive as I know this recovery is a long and slow process,” Retton continued her post.
“I appreciate everyone’s respect for my privacy at this time. When the time is right, I will share more information about my health issues and I hope I can help others who may be facing the same struggles I am. I love you all. – MLR.”
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
