Mary Lou Retton is opening up about her harrowing hospitalization with a rare form of pneumonia in October.
Speaking for the first time about her health scare, the legendary American Olympic gymnast revealed to Hoda Kotb in a “Today” interview that she was nearly put on life support, and the 55-year-old said she’s “very much” in a vulnerable state as she is on oxygen to help her recovery.
“I’m very private and to come out and talk about it — usually my interviews are ‘Oh yes, it felt great to win the Olympics!’ This is serious and this is life,” Retton, sitting next to daughter Shayla Schrepfer at her Boerne, Texas, home, said in a preview clip released on “Sunday Today,” with the full interview set to air Monday.
“I am 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.”
One of Retton’s other daughters, McKenna, first announced in a “Spotfund” post in October that the 1984 all-around gold medalist had been in the ICU “for over a week” and was “fighting for her life.”
On Oct. 18, Shayla said in an Instagram video that her mom had “a pretty scary setback” after previously making progress and that she was still in the ICU.
Five days later, McKenna announced that Retton was home after being released from the hospital.
“We still have a long road of recovery ahead of us, but baby steps,” McKenna wrote in an Instagram post.
Retton put out a statement on Oct. 30 thanking people for their well-wishes.
In addition to her gold medal, Retton also captured silver in the team and vault competitions at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and took home bronze in the uneven bars and floor exercise.