Legendary U.S. gymnast Mary Lou Retton said she faced “death in the eyes” during a battle with pneumonia that required hospitalization in the intensive care unit in the fall.
The 1984 gold medalist shared her experience dealing with a life-threatening illness in her first public interview with NBC’s Today. Many questions remain about Retton’s health condition and financial situation, and she didn’t provide much detail to Today’s Hoda Kotb. But she made it clear how grave her situation was.
“This is serious and this is life and I am so grateful to be here,” Retton told Kotb from her home outside San Antonio. “I am blessed to be here because there is a time when they were about to put me on life support.”
