- Mary Lou Retton seemed to improve over the weekend
- Fans raised more than $450,000 to help cover his medical bills at the hospital.
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Mary Lou Retton experienced “a pretty scary setback” in her battle with a rare form of pneumonia, according to her daughter.
Shayla Kelly Schrepfer took to Instagram Wednesday night with an update and said, “Basically, at the beginning of this week we were so excited, seeing so much progress, and then yesterday we had a pretty scary setback .
“She’s still in the ICU and we’re just working on some things as far as her setback goes.
“I just wanted to take stock there. She had a better day today, which is great: she’s really exhausted.
“Thanks again guys for your support. I get so many messages and emails and it’s so great to see people loving it.
Retton’s family had created a one-time fundraising page to help cover medical bills that as of Wednesday evening topped $450,000 — the goal was $50,000.
Retton rose to fame in 1984 when he won five Olympic medals in Los Angeles Games. It emerged last week that she was hospitalized with a rare form of pneumonia.
But the family gave fans hope this weekend by sharing that the former gymnast was making progress in her recovery.
In an Instagram post, Schrepfer, the eldest of Retton’s four daughters, called her mother’s progress “truly remarkable.”
“Although she remains in the ICU, her path to recovery is progressing steadily,” Schrepfer wrote of Retton. “His fighting spirit really shines!
“His breathing becomes stronger and his dependence on machines decreases.”
Before that, her other daughter, McKenna Kelley, said Retton was “not able to breathe on her own” and had been in the intensive care unit for more than a week.
She asked for both prayers and donations from a crowdfunding site, saying her mother did not have medical insurance.
Retton, 55, won five medals (one gold, two silver and two bronze) at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. She made history by becoming the first American woman to win gold in the individual all-around.
After her retirement, she was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 1997.
Three years ago, she became the first woman to be selected to the Houston Sports Hall of Fame.
Retton, who has previously appeared on “Baywatch” along with other films and TV shows, even has a road and park named in his honor in his hometown of Fairmont West Virginia.
She also served on the President’s Council on Fitness and Sports under former President George W. Bush.