Mary Lou Retton Reveals Her Pneumonia Hospitalization Almost Landed Her on Life Support

The Olympic gold medalist was hospitalized in October with a rare form of pneumonia.

By Anna Rumer

Olympic gold medal gymnast Mary Lou Retton reveals she was almost placed on life support after being hospitalized with a "rare form of pneumonia" in October. The 55-year-old athlete told TODAY's Hoda Kotb that she looked "death in the eyes" while fighting for her life in the intensive care unit of the hospital. 

"This is serious, and this is life, and I'm so grateful to be here," Retton told Kotb in an interview that aired Monday on the NBC morning show. "I am blessed to be here because there was a time when they were about to put me on life support." Retton could be seen using portable oxygen during her interview with Kotb, as she spoke to the journalist from her home in Boerne, Texas, where she is recovering. 

When Kotb mentioned to the Olympian that she felt like she was in a "very vulnerable state," Retton agreed, "Very much so. I'm very private and to come out and talk about it... Usually my interviews are, 'Oh yes, it felt great to win the Olympics!'" Hospitalized in October after falling dangerously ill, Retton revealed that she was unable to breathe on her own, and that her oxygen levels dropped so low at one point that her daughters were told to "prepare for the worst" and discuss putting their mom on a ventilator.

It was Retton's daughters who broke the news of their mom's diagnosis on Oct. 10, asking for support on a crowd-funding site as their mom was "fighting for her life." Four days later, Retton's daughter Shayla Schrepfer, who appeared alongside her in Monday's interview, revealed that her mom was making progress toward recovery, but on Oct. 18, her next health update revealed that Retton had suffered a "pretty scary setback."

The following week, Schrepfer revealed on Oct. 23 that while her mom had taken another turn for the better, there was a "long road of recovery ahead of us." Seven days later, Retton spoke out publicly for the first time about her condition, writing as a part of a statement, "I'm with my family continuing to slowly recover and staying very positive as I know this recovery is a long and slow process." On Thanksgiving, Retton took to social media with a message of "profound gratitude." She wrote, "On this day of giving thanks, I am reminded of the preciousness of life, the love that surrounds me, and the resilience of the human spirit."

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