“She is not able to breathe on her own. She’s been in the ICU for over a week now,” her daughter Mackenna posted to a crowdfunding website.
The 1984 American gymnast who won the hearts of many after winning Olympic gold is now in the fight for her life in the ICU.
Mary Lou Retton, 55, is said to be critically ill in the intensive care unit with a rare form of pneumonia.
“My amazing mom, Mary Lou, has a very rare form of pneumonia and is fighting for her life. She is not able to breathe on her own. She’s been in the ICU for over a week now,” her daughter Mackenna posted to a crowdfunding website.
Mackenna said she had to create the fundraising page because despite bringing home the gold for the nation, Mary Lou does not have health insurance.
She said so far they have raised over $180,000 for her mother's medical costs.
In 1984, Mary Lou became the first American female gymnast to take home an individual all-around gold medal, immediately winning the hearts of her fellow Americans.
She was later inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 1997.
After leaving the gymnastics world, Mary Lou acted in “The Naked Gun 33 and a Third” and joined the cast of "Dancing with the Stars" in 2018.
Mary Lou passed the gymnastics torch on to her daughter Mackenna, telling Inside Edition previously, “it’s so much better when you see your baby out there doing it.”
