Mary Lou Retton Breaks Her Silence on Health Scare Following ICU Battle

Mary Lou Retton has broken her silence after she was hospitalized for pneumonia. The 55-year-old gymnastics legend went to Instagram on Monday to make a statement about her health scare that led to her being in the ICU for an extended period of time. 

“I’m beyond blessed to have the opportunity to make this statement,” Retton wrote. “I am overwhelmed with all the love and support from the world as I fight. I am forever grateful to you all! I’m with family continuing to slowly recover and staying very positive as I know this recovery is a long and slow process. I appreciate everyone’s respect of my privacy at this time.” Retton went on to say that she will be “sharing more information about my health issues” at a later date. But she hopes she “can help others who may face the same battle as me.”

Retton was hospitalized earlier this month and her daughters said she was “fighting for her life” in the ICU. The Olympic gold medalist returned home with her family to recover last week. And her daughters raised $450,000 to help with the cost of hospital bills by launching a Spot Fund page. 

In 1984, Retton became a household name after winning five medals at the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. She became the first American woman to win the all-around gold medal in Olympic gymnastics and also won two silver medals and two bronze medals. When speaking to Parade in 2012, Retton revealed her favorite memory from the Olympics. 

“There are so many, but probably the best moment was after I had stuck the vault for the 10,” she said. “I knew I had won and Coach Bela rushes down on to the floor and he lifts me up and he says to me, ‘You are an Olympic champion.’ I still get goosebumps whenever I say that. It was a special moment that we shared. The whole world was watching, but it was just the two of us. I couldn’t have done it without him. I may have had the talent, but he pulled that out of me.”  

Retton also talked about being an Olympic favorite. “It’s been nearly 30 years and people will come up to me. I think there’s something about being the first American to win the gold medal in the all-around that has something to do with it,” Retton explained. “I think that makes it special.”