A fundraiser created by Mary Lou Retton’s daughter to pay for medical bills while the Olympic gymnast battles a rare form of pneumonia in intensive care has raised a quarter of a million dollars already, blowing past the $50,000 goal.
McKenna Kelley, a retired gymnast herself, disclosed Retton’s health crisis on social media this week and also revealed that her 55-year-old mom does not have any health insurance.
Donations have poured in from hundreds of people who remember Retton as the pint-sized powerhouse who beat the Romanian favorite to take all-around gold at the 1984 Summer Games.
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Retton has been retired from competition since 1986 but has worked as a broadcast gymnastics commentator and even had a stint on Dancing With the Stars five years ago.
Her pro partner, Shaun Farber, said he spoke with her on Tuesday.
“She’s fighting,” shared Farber, who stayed close to Retton after they were eliminated.
“She kind of wants to give up, but I’m sending her videos of her dancing and I’m telling her, ‘There’s only one Mary Lou Retton. You’ve got this!’”
Among those donating to the fundraiser are Jim “Mattress Mack” Mcingvale and his wife, Linda, who kicked in $50,000. They live in Houston, where Retton launched her elite gymnastic career.
Kelley has not provided any updates on her mother’s condition, but said Tuesday that she was both able to breathe on her own and had been in the ICU for a week.
