Following some positive updates on the condition of Mary Lou Retton, who has been suffering from a rare form of pneumonia and “fighting for her life” since early October, the Olympic champion had a “pretty scary setback” in ICU on Tuesday, daughter Shayla Schrepfer said in an Instagram post late Wednesday. Schrepfer added, “We’re just working through some things as far as her setback goes,” noting about her mom, “She had a better day today which is great; she is just really, really exhausted.” (Watch the full video below.)
Last week, another of Retton’s daughters, McKenna Kelley, used social media to inform about her mother’s hospitalization saying the Dancing with the Stars alum was “not able to breathe on her own” and had “been in ICU for over a week.” Due to the former gymnast not having medical insurance, Kelly also started a fundraiser to raise money for medical bills which now has over $452K when the initial goal was $50K.
Kelly this past Saturday updated that Retton’s “progress is truly remarkable” and that her “path to recovery is steadily progressing. Her fighting spirit is truly shining.” Then last night, Schrepfer said, “I figured it was time for another update. Basically, at the beginning of this week, we were going on the up-and-up, we were so excited, seeing so much progress; and then yesterday we had a pretty scary setback.” Noting Retton is still in ICU, she added, “We’re just working through some things as far as her setback goes. She had a better day today which is great, she is just really, really exhausted.”
Retton made history at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles when she became the first American gymnast to win an individual all-around gold medal. Even more impressive was that five weeks prior to the global competition, she had undergone knee surgery and was able to recover just in time.
The athlete would go on to win four additional medals at the same Olympic games: silver in the team competition and vault and bronze in the floor exercise and uneven bars.
Retton would be named Sportswoman of the Year by Sports Illustrated and appeared on the Wheaties cereal box and in commercials, becoming its first spokeswoman. She would retire in 1986.
In 2018, Retton was a contestant on Dancing with the Stars.