McKenna Kelley says her mom, who lives in Houston, has a very rare form of pneumonia and is not able to breathe on her own.
HOUSTON — Mary Lou Retton, the gold-medal-winning gymnast who became known as “America’s sweetheart” after the 1984 Olympics, is in the hospital “fighting for her life,” according to her daughter.
McKenna Kelley said her mom is being treated for a “very rare form of pneumonia.”
In a Spotfund.com post, Kelley said Retton, who lives in Houston, is not able to breathe on her own and has been in the ICU for more than a week.
“Out of respect for her and her privacy, I will not disclose all details. However, I will disclose that she not insured,” Kelley posted. “We ask that if you could help in any way, that 1) you PRAY! and 2) if you could help us with finances for the hospital bill.”
Retton was one of the surprises of the 1984 games in Los Angeles where she flipped and vaulted her way to five medals, including a gold for the individual all-around competition. Retton was the first American gymnast ever to win the all-around gold.
Her million-dollar smile quickly made her one of the most popular athletes in the world and little girls all over dreamed of becoming the next Mary Lou.
Retton watched proudly as Spring’s Simone Biles dominated the Olympics competition in Rio.
“She is the best on planet earth. She is the best gymnast I’ve ever seen, truly,” Retton told KHOU 11’s Matt Musil in 2016. “The explosiveness, the athleticism, the powerfulness that she has… she’s special.”
Retton retired in Houston where she had moved to train with Bela Karolyi.
She was inducted into the Houston Sports Hall of Fame in 2020 along with former Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich and Olympic track star Carl Lewis.
McKenna Kelley is one of four daughters Retton, now 55, shares with her ex-husband former Longhorn quarterback Shannon Kelley. They quietly divorced in 2018, she revealed.
“It was hard, I felt very alone,” Retton said. “We still love one another, but we weren’t great together anymore.”
McKenna Kelley was a gymnast at LSU and her oldest sister Shayna competed at Baylor.
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