Heavy/ABC Mary Lou Retton explains fundraiser.
Season 27 “Dancing With the Stars” alum Mary Lou Retton, 55, is lucky to be alive after a battle with pneumonia. The Olympian spent several days in the ICU after her diagnosis and has admitted that she nearly died.
During her hospital stay, Retton’s daughter set up a fundraising campaign to help with her medical expenses. However, it didn’t take long for people to respond negatively, wondering why Retton didn’t have health insurance — and why she couldn’t pay her own bills. She has since addressed these concerns.
“When COVID hit and after my divorce, and all my pre-existing — I’ve had over 30 operations of orthopedic stuff — I couldn’t afford it. I couldn’t afford it. But who would even know that this was going to happen to me? That’s the bottom line, I couldn’t afford it,” Retton told “Today’s” Hoda Kotb in an interview.
Retton is still recovering an is on oxygen, but appears to be doing much better.
Here’s what you need to know:
Family, Friends & Fans Raised Nearly $500,000 for Mary Lou Retton
Legendary Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton speaks exclusively to @hodakotb about the fight for her life with a rare form of pneumonia that landed her in the ICU for a month and the outpouring support from her fans. “I have so much to look forward to. I’m a fighter.”
Just after news broke that Retton had been hospitalized, her daughter leapt into action in an effort to help their mom through a challenging time.
“My amazing mom, Mary Lou, has a very rare form of pneumonia and is fighting for her life. She is not able to breathe on her own. She’s been in the ICU for over a week now. Out of respect for her and her privacy, I will not disclose all details. However, I will disclose that she is not insured,” read the description on Spotfund.
The questions about Retton’s finances quickly began to stack up on social media.
“Her family ask for money and she has her own money so why didn’t she have insurance??????????” one Instagram user wondered.
“Trump supporter who grifts her fans by asking for money because she choose not to get health insurance,” someone else wrote.
But while many people were busy wondering why Retton needed money so badly, others selflessly donated to the cause. The initial goal was set at $50,000, but more than $450,000 has been raised.
Mary Lou Retton Was Nearly Put on Life Support
Retton remains grateful for the medical treatment she received and is now on the road to full recovery.
“This is serious, and this is life, and 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,” Retton told Kotb. “I’m not great yet. I know it’s going to be a really long road,” she continued.
“When you face death in the eyes, I have so much to look forward to. I’m a fighter. And I’m not going to give up. I’m not going to give up. I have no idea what the future holds for me. I don’t know if I’m going to have lasting issues with my lungs. They don’t know. I wish I had answers. But I would never give up. It’s not in me,” she added.
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