McKenna Kelley, the daughter of former Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton, took to Instagram Tuesday to share that her mother is “fighting for her life” in the ICU with a rare form of pneumonia.
“My amazing mom, Mary Lou, has a very rare form of pneumonia and is fighting for her life,” Kelley wrote in a Spotfund fundraising page for her 55-year-old mother. “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.”
Kelley continued, “We ask that if you could help in any way, that 1) you PRAY! and 2) if you could help us with finances for the hospital bill.” As of Wednesday, the fundraiser has exceeded its $50,000 goal with 4,242 donors contributing $244,725. Retton rose to prominence during the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, where she became the first American to win an individual all-around gold medal. Retton also secured two silver medals in the vault and team event, as well as two bronze medals in the uneven bars and the floor. She won more medals than any other athlete during those games.
Retton was named Sports Illustrated’s “Sportswoman of the Year” and featured on a Wheaties box following her Olympics victory. She was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 1997.