“She is not able to breathe on her own,” back in October last year Olympic gold medalist Mary Lou Retton’s daughter, McKenna Kelley posted this message on Instagram and revealed that her mother was in the ICU for over a week dealing with a rare form of pneumonia. In that post, she also disclosed that Retton was not insured and was admitted to a hospital in the Houston area. This left many surprised. But now Kelley has revealed the reason why one of the most recognizable names in U.S. Olympic history is without medical insurance.

Kelley posted a crowd-sourcing request that saw healthy donations, leaving her and her sisters “overwhelmed” by the response. Kelley also said that after her mother’s medical bills are paid, the family plans to donate the remaining money to a charity of her mother’s choice.

Mary Lou Retton’s career in gymnastics left her battered

After Kelley notified Retton’s fans of her serious condition in October through the social media post donations started pouring in and the Retton family raised over $450,000 for the medical expenses. Kelley revealed that

The daughters revealed that they didn’t have the means to take care of the bills, but the one thing that stunned everyone was the fact that the Olympian wasn’t covered by any medical insurance. In an exclusive interview with USA Today, Kelley finally shed light on the reason for the conundrum. Kelley stated that Retton couldn’t afford insurance due to “pre-existing conditions“. She said that such conditions included “over 30 orthopedic surgeries, including four hip replacements.”

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“Due to her medical history and the amount of surgeries she has endured from gymnastics and just life, it’s unaffordable for her“, added Mary Lou’s daughter, highlighting her mother’s ongoing struggle. Retton remains popular in Olympic circles, with a speaking fee that is believed to be at least $25,000. But Kelley said that the COVID-19 pandemic didn’t help and Retton was rendered unable to make an earning during the tumultuous period.

According to Kelley Retton had once been covered by health insurance but she said “because she was not able to work and give speeches for two years due to the pandemic, she gave up her insurance.” After a few weeks stay, Retton was discharged from the Texas-based hospital on October 30, with Kelley sharing on Instagram that their mother was “HOME & in recovery mode.” She added: “We still have a long road of recovery ahead of us, but baby steps.”

A week later Retton updated her followers on her condition via an Instagram post. She wrote, “I’m with family continuing to slowly recover and staying very positive as I know this recovery is a long and slow process,”

Now months after facing the ordeal that left Retton, who won the women’s gymnastics individual all-around gold medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, is speaking about the ordeal that left her fighting for her life in an upcoming interview.

Mary Lou reveals she was about to be put on “life support”

Mary Lou Retton will talk about her condition in a Today show interview on Monday, January 8. In a preview, that aired on Sunday Today she revealed that she is “on oxygen” as she sat beside daughter Shayla Kelley with a breathing apparatus supporting her. She added she is “very much” in a “vulnerable state.”

“She Is a Icon”: Making Her First Public Appearance Post-ICU, Olympic Legend Marry Lou Retton Overwhelmed With Fan’s Love

The former gymnast also expressed her gratitude for being stable at the moment and in a better condition than before. She noted, “I’m so grateful to be here. I am blessed to be here, because there was a time when they were about to put me on life support.” As her daughter made the revelation behind her mother not getting insurance, fans will hope the Olympic hero recovers to her full health at the earliest.

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