Amazing 1980’s Sports Icon Mary Lou Retton In The Hospital With Rare Pneumonia
If you grew up in the 1980’s, then you know who Mary Lou Retton is. If you don’t know who she is, let me fill you in. She is one of the greatest women in the sport of gymnastics. At the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, she won a gold medal in the individual all-around competition. In addition, she won two silver medals and two bronze medals. Until Simone Biles, no one has come close to the accomplishments of Mary Lou Retton. Right now, she is fighting for her life dealing with a rare form of pneumonia.
According to TODAY, Retton is in the hospital recovering after being hospitalized over a week ago. Her daughters say she’s ‘still fighting’ and is in intensive care. As of yesterday, one of her daughters said that she’s still fighting and that it’s a day by day process. Retton doesn’t have health insurance, and her family has started to raise money on the crowd-funding site Spotfund. So far, Retton’s medical bills are already around $300,000.
Retton Was My Favorite As A Kid
Going to gymnastics class was something I loved as a kid. Since I was short and stocky, I had the natural frame to become a good gymnast. Then when I was 10 years old, I got pneumonia. I missed a month of school and was so behind in my gymnastics training that the instructor said I’d need to start over the next year. It didn’t happen. I ended up swimming, and did that until I was around 17 years old.
In 1984, I was 14 years old. My family traveled to Los Angeles to attend the ’84 Summer Games. My dad was holding tickets for track & field events, tennis, and swimming. We were hoping to score some tickets to gymnastics once we were in California. Sadly, it didn’t happen. I was crushed! Mary Lou Retton was an icon, and at 14, I really admired her and was looking forward to seeing her compete. Retton was competing in the Olympics while she was a sophomore in high school. HIGH SCHOOL! Unreal! No one has come close to her achievements until Simone Biles.
In 1986, Retton retired from the sport, but you still saw her everywhere. She was on boxes of ‘Wheaties’ cereal and was the first female to be featured. As an amazing athlete, she was perfect for becoming a gymnastics analyst, which she did. She’s also made cameos in movies and television shows. Watching Retton, you felt like you knew her. She has a smile that lights up a room. She’s so bubbly and appears so fun!
Having gone through some medical procedures the last three years, I understand the stress of medical bills. I ended up taking money out of a 401 K to pay mine. Not the smartest thing to do but all the bills were stressing me out. If you’re interested in donating to Mary Lou Retton’s medical fund, you can do that here.
Praying that Retton makes a full recovery. SShe is only 55 years old and has four daughters who need her!
