DWTS Alum Is Lucky to Be Alive Following Rare Illness

Heavy/ABC Mary Lou Retton speaks out.

Former “Dancing With the Stars” competitor Mary Lou Retton is opening up about the rare form of pneumonia that she was diagnosed with in 2023.

“Usually my interviews are, ‘Oh, yeah, it felt great to win the Olympics,’ you know? This is serious and this is life.’ 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 said on the January 8, 2024, episode of “Today.”

The former Olympian made headlines back in the fall when her daughter revealed that her mom was “fighting for her life” in the ICU. Although Retton is home, she is still recovering and is on oxygen to assist her lungs.

Retton competed on season 27 of “Dancing With the Stars” alongside ballroom pro, Sasha Farber. The former gymnast also has five Olympic medals to her name (one gold, two silver, and two bronze).

Here’s what you need to know:

The General Feedback on the Interview Has Been Negative

Interestingly, the vast majority of the comments left of Retton’s Instagram page — where she shared a clip from her interview with Kotb — are negative. For many, curiosity about why Retton didn’t have health insurance, her stance on modern day vaccines, and her political views took precedence over wishing her well.

“Could you ask her why she did not have health insurance? She appears to live a privileged life and why wouldn’t she have health insurance?” one person asked.

“Will she be discussing asking the general public to foot her medical bills?” someone else asked.

“She should be talking about the importance of getting health insurance,” a third comment read.

“Did you ask her where the $450K dollars is going?” a fourth Instagram user questioned, referring to the money raised by the public.

There were several comments that were positive, but they were vastly outweighed by the criticism of other social media users.

A Fundraising Effort Raised Nearly $500,000 to Help Mary Lou Retton With Medical Bills & Expenses

While Retton was in the ICU, her daughter set up a fundraiser in hopes of getting some extra money to help curb the cost of medical expenses.

“My amazing mom, Mary Lou, has a very rare form of pneumonia and is fighting for her life,” she wrote in a message on the fundraising page. “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 not insured,” Retton’s daughter McKenna Kelley wrote as part of an online funding campaign.

Donations have surpassed more than $450,000 to date.

Retton took to Instagram to share her very first post since the health scare just after her hospital release.

“I am beyond blessed to have the opportunity to make this statement,” she wrote, adding, “I’m with family continuing to slowly recover and staying very positive as I know this recovery is a long and slow process.”

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