Olympian Mary Lou Retton Offers Initially Interview About Overall health Scare

Mary Lou Retton feels grateful to be alive following a harrowing ordeal.

The legendary Olympian is speaking out on-camera for the very first time about battling extreme pneumonia that landed her in the ICU very last drop.

“I am on oxygen,” Retton, sporting a nasal cannula, explained to Nowadays‘s Hoda Kotb in an interview, element of which was introduced Jan. 7. “I am so grateful to be below. I am blessed to be here, due to the fact there was a time when they ended up about to put me on lifetime support.”

The 55-yr-outdated, who created record at the 1984 Olympics when she grew to become the American lady to gain the all-around gold medal in Olympic gymnastics, was hospitalized very last October.

A week following she entered the ICU, 1 of 4 daughters, McKenna Kelley, discovered her health scare publicly, writing on the fundraiser system Spotfund that her mom was hospitalized with a “extremely scarce type” of pneumonia. She mentioned Mary Lou was “fighting for her everyday living” and was “not able to breathe on her have.” She also stated her mother had no well being insurance policies and asked for both equally prayers and donations to aid with medical center invoice payments.