Iconic gymnast Mary Lou Retton, who spent weeks fighting for her life in intensive care with severe pneumonia, says she is “continuing to slowly recover” a week after being released from the hospital.
“I know this recovery is a long and slow process,” the 1984 Olympic champion wrote on Instagram on Monday.
Retton’s health crisis came to light three weeks ago when one of her daughters took to social media to announce that the 55-year-old ex-athlete could not breathe on her own.
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She also revealed her divorced mother did not have health insurance and set up a fundraiser, which pulled in nearly half a million dollars from thousands of fans.
The family revealed few details about Retton’s condition beyond saying she had a “very rare” form of pneumonia—and Retton is not shedding more light on the situation just yet.
“I appreciate everyone’s respect of my privacy at this time,” she wrote. “When the time is right I will be sharing more information about my health issues and hope I can help others who may face the same battle as me.”
