Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton is “fighting for her life” in the hospital with pneumonia.
The gold medalist’s daughter, McKenna Lane Kelley, took to social media on Tuesday, October 10, to confirm that her mother had been hospitalized due to complications from the illness. Kelley, who was a gymnast at Louisiana State University herself, also posted a link to a SpotFund via her Instagram Story. To date, the fundraiser has surpassed its $50,000 goal.
“My amazing mom, Mary Lou, has a very rare form of pneumonia and is fighting for her life,” she wrote on the page. “She is not able to breathe on her own. She’s been in the ICU for over a week now. Out of respect for her and her privacy, I will not disclose all details. However, I will disclose that she is not insured.”
She continued: “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. ANYTHING, absolutely anything, would be so helpful for my family and my mom. Thank y’all so very much!”
There were no further specifics about Retton’s, 55, condition nor what hospital she is at.
While competing at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California, Retton won a gold medal for the all-around. She was five-hundredths of a point behind Romania’s Ecaterina Szabo heading into the final rotation of the competition, and she could only beat her with a perfect 10 — which she scored.
Retton was the first American woman to win gold at that event — and she held that title until Carly Patterson became the second woman to achieve this in 2004.
She also went on to take home two silver medals for team and vault and two bronze medals for uneven bars and floor exercises. Afterwards, she was featured in Sports Illustrated’s 1984 “Sportswoman of the Year” and on the cover of the Wheaties box.
The following year, she won the American Cup all-around competition for the third time. She went on to retire in 1986 and was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 1997.
Outside of the gymnasium, Retton went on to compete on season 27 of Dancing with the Stars, where she was partnered with Sasha Farber. The pair ultimately were sent home during the show’s 6th week. She also made appearances in both films and TV shows including Glee, Scrooged, Baywatch and Knot’s Landing.
She shares four daughters with ex-husband Shannon Kelley: Shayla, Skyla, Emma and McKenna.
