Despite getting on the list to receive a double lung transplant, Ben Askren’s troubles seem to rise. Yes, the MMA and wrestling community rejoiced when the 2-time NCAA champion regained his senses and asked for a coffee and details about a wrestling match. His wife, Amy Askren, revealed that there were no complications with the former ONE Championship title holder’s other organs. Which means getting a life-saving lung transplant could get him out of the high-risk zone. But getting on the transplant list means little if the surgery isn’t backed by the required financial support.

Askren’s health troubles began when he was rushed to the hospital with complaints of pneumonia on 30 May. This pneumonia was reportedly caused by a Staphylococcus infection, which was likely resistant to traditional antibiotics. He was put on a ventilator and ECMO to ensure that his breathing continues, even if it’s outside the body. But just when the weaning processes seemed to work, and he got on the list for a lung transplant, his insurance company refused to pay for the surgery.

Recently, Mark Bader, one of Askren’s close friends, took to The Balder Show and said, “His wife Amy, his brother Max, and his mom met with the doctors… they basically was like look it there’s a chance we could do this without the transplant but he would need to be on oxygen and during the day and the ventilator at night and any of us that know Ben like that’s not an option. The insurance won’t cover the lung transplant, and that’s extremely costly, astronomical costs associated with that.”

Rudis, a clothing company, has started a tax-deductible donation by selling T-shirts with the tagline “Funky Strong, Funky Tough.” 100% of the proceeds are promised to go to Askren’s medical expenses. A GoFundMe fundraiser was also set up for the fighter’s bills. But there were some people who wondered if Askren had already blown up his money. And Bader had a response for them.

“I don’t want people to think that Ben was this fighter who made this money and has blown it… the money that this guy’s made is like tied up, invested back into the sport… it’s in his businesses, it’s in his building, it’s in the former wrestlers he’s hiring. The amount of lives that Ben has impacted is seemingly immeasurable… Not just the amount of lives he’s impacted, but the amount of impact he’s had on all these different lives,” Bader explained.

But there’s still a sliver of hope shining for Askren. Let’s take a look at the updates that his wife shared with the netizens. And yes, there’s some good news.

Wife shares some good news about Ben Askren’s condition

Amy recently revealed that Askren was interacting with his family and making faces. He was actually responding to the weaning processes. On social media, she wrote, “As of late last night, Ben is officially on the transplant list.” She continued to ask for prayers and support. Her concern right now was for ‘Funky’ to stay stable and without any complications till he receives the graft. She was prayed that Askren’s body would accept the graft.

Furthermore, Amy sent her prayers to the donor. She continued, “Our family is so thankful that his other organs are ok and that there is a path forward while he is having more periods of awareness, he’s not able to look at his phone yet and respond to messages. We finally figured out he was saying coffee! (He can’t have it yet lol) What a huge relief to see him asking for something so normal. I’m so thankful his mind is healthy and I can’t wait to have him back. We are also so thankful for the amazing community we have — from close friends.”

With these updates out in the open, the insurance company might revisit the scenario and revamp its decision. After all, with the improvement in Askren’s condition, his survivability following the transplant has also increased. But what are your thoughts on the initial dismissal by the insurance companies?