Olympic gold champion Mary Lou Retton has been undergoing treatment for acute pneumonia in an intensive care unit at a hospital, according to the famous American gymnast’s children.
Retton’s daughter, McKenna Kelley, described the Hall of Fame gymnast as being in critical condition in a post on a crowdfunding website on Tuesday. The condition was confirmed to NBC News by a different daughter.
McKenna Kelley posted the following on a crowdfunding website: “My lovely mom, Mary Lou, is fighting for her life with an extremely uncommon kind of pneumonia. She is incapable of breathing alone. She has now spent more than a week in the ICU.
Retton, 55, was not given any other information, and it was unclear where he was receiving care. She was born in West Virginia and now resides in Houston.
Kelley made a plea for assistance with Retton’s hospital bills in the crowd-funding statement, which was linked from her verified Instagram account, noting that she does not have health insurance.”ANYTHING, absolutely anything, would be so helpful for my family and my mom,” she wrote in a letter.
With her victory in the all-around competition at the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles, Retton became the first American woman to take home a gold medal in gymnastics. She also won five medals in total, more than any other athlete that summer.
Get well Mary Lou 🙏
God bless you 🙏 Mary Lou.
You are an American hero. We are all wishing you a speedy recovery.
I am praying for you Mary Lou Much Love and Best Wishes for improving heath in the future until you are 💯 better!!
❤️💚💜🙏☦️
May God Bless you to get well soon. Praying for you.
Prayers for healing💕🙏🙏🙏💕
We are all praying for you. I hope you can feel all the love all over the world. 🤸🏻♀️❤🤸🏻♀️
Many prayers are being being said for you and your family. Rest well sweet girl. God is healing you. Love and prayers to you. 🙏💕👍
Mary Lou Prayers, hugs and much 💕
You have always been a favorite of mine in the sports world. I’m praying for a speedy recovery. God speed
Get well Mary Lou prayers are with you and your family.
Mary Lou God bless you Jesus heal to Mary Lou and. Be with daughters
God is with you 🙏 and Family. ❤️
PRAYERS FOR YOUR HEALING MARY LOU. BY JESUS STRIPES YOU ARE HEALED BECAUSE JESUS TOOK ALL OF OUR SINS AND DISEASES ON THE CROSS FOR OUR HEALING. HALLELUJAH/ GBU AND FAMILY🙏🙏🙏👍👍🐶🐶🐶🥰🥰
I hope that with all her millions of dollars steps up and helps out a fellow gymnast. Maybe she already has?? If so, good on her. Get well soon Mary Lou. You have a lot of people that love you and are praying for you.
I hope and pray, you become the bright star you’ve always been and beat this thing. Also why are we as Americans not taking care of our own. We are in such a hurry to help everyone else. people Charity begins at home. And this lovely lady brought a smile to all our American faces and pride to the United States. We should be helping her too! 🇺🇸
We love you Mary Lou, get well!
May God bless you. I hope you have a speedy recovery.
We love you Mary Lou .. we all are praying for you🙏.. get well soon ..🙏 prays your way from Florida … Angela R
I so enjoyed watching you in the Olympics. You were wonderful! Praying for the peace of the Lord in your life and for His healing power to completely cover and transform you into health! ❤️🙏
Mary Lou, you are in our hearts. So many of us remember your incredible courage and your reaching so deep for the strength to outlast the competition. Reach deep again in this terrible battle, and know prayers are with you!!
Jane S, Texas.
Praying for your recovery
Praying hard for you 🙏🙏🙏🙏