Mary Lou Retton has been discharged from the hospital following her battle with pneumonia which resulted in an ICU stay. In an Instagram post on Monday, McKenna Lane Kelley, the daughter of the Olympian, shared that Retton had been discharged from the hospital and was now recovering at home after her health scare.

In early October, Kelley shared that her mother had been admitted to the ICU. Mary Lou Retton was fighting a rare form of pneumonia, which left her unable to breathe on her own and in a life-or-death battle. In an update on October 14th, Kelley, a gymnast herself, shared that her mother was making significant progress despite still being in the ICU.

“My amazing mom, Mary Lou, has a very rare form of pneumonia and is fighting for her life,” Kelley wrote on a fundraising page at the time. “She is not able to breathe on her own. She’s been in the ICU for over a week now.”

On Monday, she provided another update, mentioning that Retton had returned home and was now “in recovery mode”. “We still have a long road of recovery ahead of us, but baby steps,” Kelley posted on Instagram. “Grateful doesn’t scrape the surface of the posture of our hearts. Thank you Jesus, thank you doctors & nurses, thank you to this loving community of support.” 

Mary Lou Retton’s Fundraising Campaign for her Medical Bills has Exceeded Expectations

Kelley announced that Retton became hospitalized with limited details. However, she mentioned her mother’s lack of insurance. To cover medical expenses, Kelley started a Spotfund page and has already exceeded the $50,000 goal, raising a remarkable $459,304 as of Tuesday morning.

At a young age, Retton embarked on her gymnastics journey. This led her to compete in the 1984 Summer Olympics held in Los Angeles. Of course, there that she etched her name in history. She became the first American to secure an Olympic all-around gold medal.

In addition to this remarkable feat, she also earned two silver medals and two bronze medals. Notably, she earned the prestigious title of “Sports Illustrated’s Sportswoman of the Year” in the same year. In 1985, Retton achieved victory in the prestigious all-around competition of the American Cup for the third and final time.

Retton retired from the sport in 1986. She holds the distinction of being the pioneering female athlete to grace the front cover of a Wheaties box. General Mills reported a surge in Wheaties sales following her appearance. She was honored with an induction into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 1997. Post-retirement, Retton ventured into television and found her calling as a motivational speaker.