Mary Lou Retton says she was almost put on life support during hospitalization
Mary Lou Retton: The gymnast won Olympic gold and was featured on boxes of Wheaties. She said during an interview that will air Monday that her rare form of pneumonia that sent her to a hospital nearly landed her on life support. (Bob Riha Jr/WireImage)
ByBob D'Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
Olympic champion Mary Lou Retton said she was nearly put on life support when she was hospitalized with a rare form of pneumonia in October.
Retton, 55, who captivated Americans after winning the all-around women’s gymnastics title at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, made the comments during an interview that is set to run on “Today” on Monday.
The show ran teaser clips Sunday from the exclusive interview with the former gymnast. The five-time Olympics medal winner was using a portable oxygen apparatus as her lungs healed, according to “Today.”
Monday morning, a TODAY exclusive. @hodakotb sits down with Olympic gold medalist and gymnastics icon Mary Lou Retton in her first interview since the health scare that put her in the ICU. pic.twitter.com/upQxR4hnfP
Retton spoke from her home in Boerne, Texas, along with her eldest daughter, Shayla Schrepfer. Retton said that she is “very private” and that most of her interviews are, “Oh yes, it felt great to win the Olympics!’”
Retton told “Today’s” Hoda Kotb that her condition had advanced to the point where doctors considered putting her on life support.
“This is serious, and this is life, and I’m so grateful to be here,” Retton said during the interview. “I am blessed to be here because there was a time when they were about to put me on life support.”
Retton had been in an intensive care unit for more than a week when her family announced her condition on Oct. 10, The New York Times reported.
Retton was nicknamed “America’s Sweetheart” after her performance at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, Reuters reported.
She became the first U.S. woman to win the all-around gold medal or any individual Olympic medal in gymnastics, the Times reported. Going into the final rotation of the competition, Retton trailed Romania’s Ecaterina Szabo by five-hundredths of a point and needed a perfect 10 on the vault to win.
Retton won five medals in Los Angeles, including two silvers (team and vault) and two bronzes (uneven bars and floor exercise), the Times reported.
She was also featured on a Wheaties box.
0 of 15
Through the years Undated: Mary Lou Retton of the United States (left) stands with her coach Bela Karolyi. Mandatory Credit: Tony Duffy /Allsport (Tony Duffy/Getty Images)
Through the years UNITED STATES - JANUARY 01: Gymnastics: Mary Lou Retton in action, 1/1/1984--7/30/1984 (Photo by Heinz Kluetmeier/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images) (SetNumber: X30059 TK1 R2) (Heinz Kluetmeier/Sports Illustrated via Getty Ima)
Through the years 1 AUG 1984: MARY LOU RETTON OF THE UNITED STATES IS CONGRATULATED BY TEAM MATES AFTER SCORING A PERFECT 10.0 DURING THE VAULT SECTION OF THE TEAM COMBINED GYMNASTICS COMPETITION. THE USA WON THE SILVER MEDAL BEHIND ROMANIA. (Steve Powell/Getty Images)
Through the years 1984: Mary Lou Retton during the U.S. Olympic Trials in 1984. (Photo by Ronald C. Modra/Getty Images) (Ronald C. Modra/Getty Images)
Through the years Scene from the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Bettmann Archive/Getty Images) (Bettmann/Bettmann Archive)
Through the years 1989: Mary Lou Retton (right) stands with Olga Korbut. Mandatory Credit: Ken Levine /Allsport (Ken Levine/Getty Images)
Through the years 10 Dec 2001: Torchbearer Mary Lou Retton-Kelley passes the Olympic Flame from her torch to a cauldron during the 2002 Salt Lake Olympic Torch Relay in Houston, Texas. DIGITAL IMAGE. Mandatory Credit: Todd Warshaw//Pool/Allsport (Todd Warshaw/Getty Images)
Through the years HOUSTON - OCTOBER 16: Former Gold Medal Olympian Mary Lou Retton throws out the first pitch before Game three of National League Championship Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Houston Astros during the 2004 Major League Baseball Playoffs on October 16, 2004 at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas. The Astros defeated the Cardinals 5-2 to set the series at 2 games to 1 St. Louis. (Photo By Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) (Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
Through the years SCOTTSDALE, AZ - APRIL 05: Athlete Mary Lou Retton and daughter arrives to Muhammad Ali's Celebrity Fight Night XIV at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa on April 5, 2008 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Celebrity Fight Night) (Charley Gallay)
Through the years HOFFMAN ESTATES, IL - FEBRUARY 21: Mary Lou Retton, former Olympic Gold Medalist in Women's Gymnastics, looks on during the 2009 Tyson American Cup at the Sears Centre on February 21, 2009 in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) (Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Through the years LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 24: Mary Lou Retton (L) and Sasha Farber pose at "Dancing with the Stars" Season 27 at CBS Televison City on September 24, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by David Livingston/Getty Images) (David Livingston/Getty Images)
Through the years HOUSTON, TX - MAY 04: Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton takes the First Shot during Game Three of the Second Round of the 2019 NBA Western Conference Playoffs between the Houston Rockets and the Golden State Warriors at Toyota Center on May 4, 2019 in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) (Tim Warner/Tim Warner)
Sign Up
