Is Mary Lou Retton out of hospital? All you need to know about gymnastics legend's health condition

Mary Lou Retton is out of hospital and is currently recovering at home, as claimed by one of her daughters. Two weeks ago, her daughters shared on social media that the legendary gymnast was fighting for her life with a rare form of pneumonia, and was unable to breathe.

55-year-old Retton made headlines on October 10 after her daughters Emma Jean Kelley and McKenna Kelley started a fund for their mother’s treatment. They revealed that the five-time Olympic gymnast had no health insurance and that the family was unable to facilitate Retton’s medical expenses. Thus, they asked the former gymnast’s fans to help them. They were able to raise $460,000 within three days from 8,300 donors.

Soon after Mary Lou Retton’s treatment began, her daughter McKenna Kelley shared an update about her condition, saying that although Retton was still in the ICU, she showed remarkable progress. Her breathing capacity became stronger without having to rely on machines for support.

After two weeks of struggle against the chronic disease, the legendary gymnast returned home on October 24. However, she still has a long road to recovery. Her daughter McKenna shared another health update of the gymnast on Instagram, writing:

"Mom is HOME & in recovery mode.”

She continued:

"We still have a long road ahead of us, but baby steps. We are overwhelmed with the love and support from everyone. Grateful doesn't scrape the surface of the posture of our hearts."

Lastly, Retton’s daughter added:

"Thank you Jesus, thank you doctors & nurses, thank you to this loving community of support."

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Mary Lou Retton’s gymnastics achievements

Mary Lou Retton (Image via ABC)

Mary Lou Retton is famously known as the first-ever American woman to achieve a gold medal in the all-around category at the 1984 Olympics. In the same championship, she also won two silver medals in the team and vault events and two bronze medals in the uneven bars and floor exercise events.

Besides her memorable Olympic achievements, she also boasts three consecutive wins in the New York American Cup from 1983 to 1985.

In fact, her wonderful accolades made her the first gymnast to be inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 1985.

Mary Lou Retton’s participation in the 1984 Olympics was extremely significant for multiple reasons. Firstly, days before the championship, she suffered a knee injury that made her participation doubtful. Secondly, that year, the US was hosting the Summer Olympics for the first time in 52 years despite being boycotted by the Soviet Union bloc except for Romania.

The gymnast recovered right before her event and competed gracefully. Ironically, she won the all-around event against Romanian gymnast Ecaterina Szabo by 0.05 points. It made her the first female gymnast from outside Eastern Europe to win the individual all-around gold. The legendary gymnast boasted the title till 2004, as another American gymnast, Carly Patterson, won the all-around event.