Legendary American gymnast Mary Lou Retton is making “remarkable” progress after being hospitalized earlier in the week with pneumonia, her daughter wrote Saturday on Instagram.
“Although she remains in the ICU, her path to recovery is steadily progressing,” McKenna Kelley wrote. “Her fighting spirit is truly shining!”
Kelley revealed Tuesday that Retton, 55, was “fighting for her life” with “a very rare form of pneumonia” and had been in a Texas hospital for a week. At the time, Retton was in the intensive care unit and needed assistance from machines to breathe.
However, Retton has become less reliant on machines in recent days, her daughter said, and she is “steadily progressing.”
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“Though it’s a lengthy journey, witnessing these improvements is incredibly heartening,” Kelley said. “She’s beginning to respond to treatments.”
In 1984, Retton became the first American woman to win a gold medal in the individual all-around competition, finishing the Summer Games with five total medals. As a result, she was named SI’s Sportsperson of the Year.
After retiring, Retton appeared in several movies and TV shows, participated as an ambassador in Olympic and gymnastic competitions and sat on the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports under President George W. Bush.
