What happened to Mary Lou Retton's lung illness? All about the Olympic medalist's road to recovery

Former American gymnast Mary Lou Retton suffered a rare form of pneumonia in October, and was battling disease for several days in the ICU. Eight months later, she has found some improvement in her health.

However, she still needs to breathe from oxygen tubes. Doctors are yet to diagnose the exact disease she's suffering from, though they are calling it a rare form of Pneumonia for now.

Lou-Retton was inspired by Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci and Russian gymnast Olga Korbut in her childhood. Watching them shine at the 1976 Olympics, she stepped into gymnastics. Eight years later, the American won the all-around gold medal at the 1984 Olympic Games.

She secured four more medals in the same edition:

• SILVER in the team and vault competitions
• BRONZE in floor exercise and uneven bars

Lou-Retton retired two years later and turned to motivational speaking. She also appeared on Dancing with Stars in 2018.

In October 2023, Mary Lou Reton's daughter McKenna Kelly launched a crowdfunding campaign for her mother, announcing that she was battling in the Intensive Care Unit. She was released from the hospital later that month but is still breathing through the oxygen tubes in her nose.

Speaking in an interview with NBC in May 2024, America’s first Olympic all-around champion spoke about the condition:

“They still don’t know what’s wrong with me,” she said. “They’re calling it a rare form of pneumonia.”

Lou-Retton said her lungs were ‘pretty scarred up and they're gonna stay that way forever’.

She also added that the experience had changed her mentally.

“I couldn't afford it”- Mary Lou Retton opens up on why her daughter started a crowdfunding campaign

Mary Lou Retton couldn't afford her hospital bills (IMAGE: GETTY)

After being admitted to the ICU, Lou Retton’s family sought donations to cover the hospital bills for the former gymnast. Her daughter’s crowdfunding campaign had collected $459,000 by early January 2024.

Speaking for the first time after coming out of hospital, Lou Retton told NBC that she didn't have her health insurance and thus couldn't afford the hefty hospital bills.

"I couldn't afford it, I couldn't afford it, I couldn't afford it," she said. "But who would even know that this was going to happen to me? That's the bottom line, I couldn't afford it."

Lou Retton also revealed that her financial conditions weren't good following her divorce in 2018, as well as during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, she has learned from the experience and has health insurance now.