Mary Lou Retton is opening up in her first interview since she was hospitalized for a rare form of pneumonia in October 2023.
The former Olympic gymnast sat down with Hoda Kotb for an exclusive interview, which will air on TODAY Monday, Jan. 8.
In a preview clip from the interview shared on Sunday TODAY, the 55-year-old spoke with Hoda alongside her eldest daughter, Shayla Schrepfer, at home in Boerne, Texas, where she is recuperating after spending a month in the intensive care unit.
Retton is currently using a portable oxygen apparatus as her lungs heal, as noted by Hoda, who told the former gymnast, “I feel like you’re in a very vulnerable state.”
“Very much so. I’m very private and to come out and talk about it…Usually my interviews are ‘Oh yes, it felt great to win the Olympics!’” Retton said.
Retton then revealed the severity of her illness, saying she was almost put on life support.
“This is serious, and this is life, and I’m so grateful to be here,” the five-time Olympic medalist said. “I am blessed to be here because there was a time when they were about to put me on life support.”
In the early days of her hospitalization, Retton’s oxygen levels reached a level so low that her four daughters — Schrepfer, McKenna Lane Kelley, Skyla Kelley and Emma Jean Kelley — were told to “prepare for the worst” and had to discuss putting their mom on a ventilator.
Retton’s daughters revealed their mother’s diagnosis publicly on Oct. 10 through a crowd-funding site, asking for support and to help cover medical costs as their mom was “fighting for her life.”
Schrepfer provided several updates about her mother’s condition, which doctors called “a rare form of pneumonia,” in the weeks that followed to keep fans up to date.
In a post on social media shared Oct. 14, Schrepfer noted that while her mom remained in the ICU, “her path…
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