Critical condition in intensive care
Huge concerns about US superstar Mary Lou Retton
October 11, 2023, 1:09 p.m
Great concerns about US gymnastics icon Mary Lou Retton: The Olympic champion and five-time medalist from LA 1984 is in the intensive care unit with a rare form of pneumonia and is fighting for survival. Her family relies on financial help.
The family’s cry for help shows great concern and desperation – and it has triggered a wave of solidarity in the USA. Los Angeles Summer Games star Mary Lou Retton is fighting for her life. The Olympic champion and five-time medalist from 1984 has been in intensive care for over a week. The condition of the gymnastics icon is critical.
“My wonderful mother, Mary Lou, has a very rare form of pneumonia and is fighting for her life,” her daughter McKenna Lane Kelley also wrote on Instagram on behalf of her three sisters. Retton, 55, is unable to breathe on her own. “Out of respect for her and her privacy, I will not release all the details,” Kelley wrote. The daughter combined the sad message with a call for donations because: Mary Lou Retton does not have health insurance.
“America’s Sweetheart” is far from forgotten
Retton at a parade in Dallas following the 1984 Summer Olympics.
(Photo: picture alliance / ASSOCIATED PRESS)
The family asked for prayers – and hopes for financial support. Over a Crowdfunding page $50,000 should be raised to cover medical costs. On Wednesday, over $140,000 had already been raised and the fundraising goal was almost tripled – the US citizens have not forgotten “America’s Sweetheart”.
In the USA, Retton is a legend and enjoys great popularity. The 55-year-old was one of the formative athletes of LA 1984, she was the first American woman to win the gold medal in the all-around competition, she also secured silver in vault and with the team as well as bronze in floor exercise and on the uneven bars.
Even after her active career, she remained in the spotlight. The 1.45 meter small Retton had smaller guest appearances in television series and films such as “Baywatch” or “The Ghosts I Called…” alongside Bill Murray. In 1993, almost ten years after her Olympic success, she was voted the most popular athlete in the United States in a national poll. Mary Lou Retton can still rely on the support of her fans.