After months in the hospital and a successful double lung transplant, Ben Askren had returned home. Resting and getting better were the only things on his mind, but during a post-surgery check-up on Monday, he received some bad news. “I had my first check-up this morning. They didn’t like the way the last chest tube looked. [They] thought it was infected,” the former MMA fighter shared the details in an Instagram reel. The doctors put him on antibiotics and did a couple of X-rays.

The whole ordeal pushed Askren, 41, to contemplate life and what matters to him. His wife, Amy, who stood strong for so long, seems to be doing the same. And so, the couple has had some heartfelt discussions recently. The former Olympian took to Instagram to share it with his followers: “My wife keeps asking me, ‘Man, are you, you know, are you sad because you have all these restrictions on your life? Are you, you know, are you depressed about it?’ And it’s like, well, my other option was I die. So I’m grateful for the opportunity to live and be here still.”

“In wrestling, I talked to my wrestlers about this also, is that, you know, a lot of them get scared around big competition, right? And then negative things are going to happen. But it’s like, well, you guys earned this. You should be grateful for the opportunity. Another way to look at this is obstacle versus opportunity or obligation versus opportunity. And so it’s like, ‘Oh, man, I got to go to practice today. ‘ Or, ‘Yes, I get to go to practice today and get better. This is my opportunity.'”

His positivity also comes at a time when the Askren family is busy figuring out how to deal with all the hospital bills. After the insurance company denied his claim for a double lung transplant, they raised money via Help Hope Live. But it doesn’t end here. The surgery might be done, but the family is still thinking about finances. Hence, Askren also made the decision to auction his autographed Olympic singlet. And that would help pay his mounting medical expenses.

The auction takes place on Thursday at Kettle Moraine High School during a wrestling tournament.

“He is everything. He is a coach. And not only that he loves the sport and he loves the kids as well,” said Ava Shaikh, who is a wrestler at Kettle Moraine High School. “He treats you like family.”

Despite going through a dire situation, Askren remains positive. His attitude seems to be infectious, since he has established a great rapport not only with his students but also with their parents. In fact, one of his students’ parents sent him a heartwarming message as he battles his medical issue.

Ben Askren received a message of support from a student’s mother

Although Ben Askren has been bedridden, his wrestling school and its branches are operating in full swing. The former UFC fighter is also known to hold summer camps for his students, and it happened this year, too. But this year’s camp saw one of the parents, Tanya Weltzin, mother of Askren’s student, Nathan, share a get-well-soon message for the welterweight veteran.

“Askren Summer Camp at UW Parkside for the week! [Nathan Weltzin] work hard, learn new skills, grow stronger, and have a little fun along the way! Proud of you. He will be missing you, Coach [Ben Askren], rest up and continue to heal,” the student’s mother wrote on Instagram. Well, the whole MMA community is hoping that the former UFC fighter gets back to good health.

We don’t know how long Ben Askren will stay in the hospital this time, but he is awake and aware of what is going on, unlike the prior time when he was unconscious and didn’t remember what occurred. Fans will have to wait and watch what happens in the next several days.