Mary Lou Retton Says She Faced ‘Death in the Eyes’ During Ordeal with Pneumonia

Legendary U.S. gymnast Mary Lou Retton said she faced “death in the eyes” during a battle with pneumonia that required hospitalization in the intensive care unit in the fall. 

The 1984 gold medalist shared her experience dealing with a life-threatening illness in her first public interview with NBC’s Today. Many questions remain about Retton’s health condition and financial situation, and she didn’t provide much detail to Today’s Hoda Kotb. But she made it clear how grave her situation was.

“This is serious and this is life and I am so grateful to be here,” Retton told Kotb from her home outside San Antonio. “I am blessed to be here because there is a time when they were about to put me on life support.”

Making Retton’s hospitalization even more harrowing were financial circumstances that left her unable to cover medical expenses. She had no health insurance, which compelled her family to request donations through online crowdfunding sites. 

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.” pic.twitter.com/WiYj2BKbIl

— TODAY (@TODAYshow) January 8, 2024

“I couldn’t afford it, I couldn’t afford it, I couldn’t afford it,” Retton said. “But who would even know that this was going to happen to me? That’s the bottom line, I couldn’t afford it.”

Thanks to nearly $459,000 raised through donations, Retton says her expenses are “all set now” and her daughter McKenna Kelley told USA Today that the remaining funds would be donated to charity. 

Retton was the first American woman to win a gold medal in the individual all-around competition at the 1984 Summer Olympics. She also won two silver and two bronze medals at the Los Angeles Games. Her achievements resulted in winning Sports Illustrated’s Sportswoman of the Year.