- Mary Lou Retton seemed to improve as the weekend went on
- Fans have raised over $450,000 to help her cover her hospital medical bills
- provides the latest international sports news
Mary Lou Retton has suffered a “pretty scary setback” while battling a rare form of pneumonia, according to her daughter.
Shayla Kelly Schrepfer posted an update on Instagram Wednesday evening, saying, “Basically, we were so excited at the beginning of this week seeing so much progress, and then yesterday we experienced a pretty scary setback.”
“She’s still in the ICU and we’re just working through some things regarding her setback.”
“I just wanted to give an update there. She’s had a better day today, which is great – she’s really exhausted.
“Thanks again for the support. I get so many messages and emails and it’s so great to see people love them.”
Mary Lou Retton has suffered a “pretty scary setback” in her battle with a rare form of pneumonia
The 55-year-old’s daughter gave an update on her condition on Wednesday evening
Retton’s family had set up a spotfund page to help cover medical bills, which topped $450,000 as of Wednesday evening – the goal was $50,000.
Retton rose to fame in 1984 when he won five Olympic medals at the Los Angeles Games. Last week it emerged she was in hospital with a rare form of pneumonia.
But the family gave fans hope this weekend when they shared that the former gymnast was making progress in her recovery.
In an Instagram post, Schrepfer, the eldest of Retton’s four daughters, called her mother’s progress “truly remarkable.”
“Although she remains in the intensive care unit, her road to recovery is progressing steadily,” Schrepfer wrote of Retton. “Your fighting spirit really shines!”
“Their breathing becomes stronger and their dependence on machines decreases.”
Previously, her other daughter, McKenna Kelley, said Retton was “unable to breathe on his own” and had been in the intensive care unit for more than a week.
She asked for both prayers and donations to a crowdfunding page and said her mother doesn’t have health insurance.
Retton, 55, won five medals (one gold, two silver and two bronze) at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. She made history by becoming the first American woman to win gold in the individual all-around.
In the same year, in addition to her gold medal, she won two Olympic silver and bronze medals
Retton made history when she became the first American woman to win gold in the all-around at the 1984 Olympics
After her retirement, she was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 1997.
Three years ago, she became the first woman to be inducted into the Houston Sports Hall of Fame.
Retton, who once made a cameo appearance in “Baywatch” along with other films and television shows, even has a street and park named in her honor in her hometown of Fairmont, West Virginia.
She also served on the President’s Council for Physical Fitness and Sports under former President George W. Bush.