Olympic gymnast and Dancing With The Stars alum Mary Lou Retton has finally returned home after battling a rare form of pneumonia in the ICU, according to a statement from her family.
Her daughter, McKenna Lane Kelley, shared an update regarding her mother’s health and thanked fans for their support.
“Mom is HOME & in recovery mode. We still have a long road of recovery ahead of us, but baby steps,” she wrote in a post shared to Instagram yesterday (Oct. 23). “We are overwhelmed with the love and support from everyone.”
Retton was hospitalized earlier this month after contracting a “very rare form of pneumonia.” A donation page set up by her daughter said that Retton was “fighting for her life” in the hospital.
“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,” a description on the donation page reads. “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.”
The donations far surpassed the $50,000 goal the family had set for Retton. As of publication time, the fundraiser has pulled in $459,304.
Retton has not publicly addressed her medical condition, but her family have been very vocal about her recovery.
Just last week, her daughter, Shayla Schrepfer, shared that Retton was still in the ICU after suffering a “pretty scary setback.” She noted at the time that Retton appeared to be having “a better day,” but remained “really, really exhausted.”
The Olympic gymnast made her name at the 1984 Olympic games, where she became the first American gymnast to win an individual all-around gold medal. She later made a number of television appearances, often as herself, and eventually competed in DWTS in 2018.
Her partner on the show, Sasha Farber, revealed that he’s kept in touch with Retton throughout her hospitalization. He told Entertainment Tonight earlier this month,”I’ve been talking to her today and she’s fighting. She kind of wants to give up, but I’m sending her videos of her dancing and I’m telling her, ‘There’s only one Mary Lou Retton. You’ve got this!'”