Mary Lou Retton’s Lungs Are ‘Scarred Up’ at 56: What’s Going On with the Legendary Olympic Gymnast?

In an update that is as tear-jerking as it is concerning, iconic former Olympian Mary Lou Retton, 56, sat down with ET (Entertainment Tonight) for an exclusive interview in which she gave grim insights into how she is doing.

As is widely known by now, Mary has been battling a rare lung issue since October last year when she nearly lost her life because her brain was deprived of oxygen.

Although she is in the recovery phase of her health predicament, Mary has still been dealing with some challenges in the past seven months. The loving mother of four, who has had to have oxygen assistance daily, was very frank about the lungs being the hardest organ to rehabilitate.

“It’s been hard, I have to say. Give me a hip to rehab, give me a shoulder. The lungs are a different beast,” Mary divulged. Adding even more strain to her recovery period is the fact that she had briefly suffered from a relapse.

Thankfully, however, Mary assured the interviewer, Deidre Behar, that she had been regulated and brought back to a state of equilibrium, although her lung prognosis remains dire.

“My lungs are pretty scarred up and they’re gonna stay that way forever,” disclosed the legendary gymnast. To make matters worse, even though medical professionals have had ample time to draw a finite conclusion on what Mary’s exact diagnosis is, they are still not able to figure out what is wrong with her.

“They still don’t know what’s wrong with me. They’re calling it a rare form of pneumonia,” explained Mary during the interview. Something that has been particularly challenging for her is the level of patience she is expected to have while going through the absolute most.

“It’s more discouragement than anything. Patience isn’t one of my strong skillsets,” she admitted with a laugh. Adding more salt to the wound is the fact that Mary will have to continue using an oxygen tank and tubes for another year or a year and a half.

Fans who have been privy to the interview and worried about Mary have flooded social media comment sections with nothing but love and support for the courageous gymnast. “Oh my goodness, this is so distressing to see. 😥 My prayers + best wishes for Mary Lou + her family xxx. 🙏 So crazy how anything can happen to any of us at any time,” wrote a fan.

Another admirer commented, “Sending prayers to Mary Lou and her family. ❤️ 🙏🙏🙏 You are amazing and so beloved by so many. Take care.” “Been wondering how Mary Lou has been doing! God bless her my lifetime hero ❤️❤️❤️ praying for her continued healing! She is a precious, humble soul. ❤️,” penned another fan.

Adding another message to the comment section of a post Deidre shared showing a clip of the interview, someone else expressed, “Thank you @marylouretton @deidrebehar for updating. Informing. ❤️🙏🏻 @marylouretton to you and your family/daughters.”

Though Mary admitted to being changed as a result of her illness, divulging how much she has been struggling to deal with the adverse impacts, she is by no means ready to throw in the towel. Something that has been instrumental in helping boost her morale is the outpouring of love and support she has received from the public and, of course, her four beautiful daughters.

In an effort to help their mom out as best as they could, McKenna Kelley, Emma Kelley, Skyla Kelley, and Shayla Kelley Schrepfer set up a crowd-sourcing site to assist their family with their beloved mom’s hefty medical costs. They ended up raising nearly $500,000 for Mary, who was uninsured at the time.

“They’re extraordinary young women and my biggest accomplishment. Take my five medals. I’ll take my daughters over that anytime,” boasted the proud mom when speaking about her kids.

Apart from sticking around for her beloved daughters, Mary has other exciting things to look forward to. McKenna is set to get married, and Skyla is expecting a baby girl named Penelope in July, which will be Mary’s first grandchild.

Until then, amid recovery, Mary Lou Retton continues fighting the good fight and providing updates about her condition when she can.

Similar to how the loving mom recently divulged insights into what life has been like for her lately, in January of this year, Mary sat down for another interview, this time with “Today’s” Hoda Kotb, to discuss the events that led her to be where she is now.

Mary, who was joined by her eldest daughter, Shayla, revealed that the day before she fell sick had been a regular one where she and Shayla had gotten their nails done. She then explained: “I was feeling tired, but I’m thinking, ‘I turn 56 this month…’ “

Shayla then noted that her mom felt “out of breath.” The following day, Mary, who had been scheduled to meet up with her daughters at a Dallas football game, found herself incapacitated and unable to lift herself from her bedroom floor.

Luckily, a neighbor had noticed that Mary’s car door had been left open in her driveway and entered the home to alert the gymnast icon, whom she then found on the ground.

After the neighbor drove Mary to a hospital, she was then diagnosed with pneumonia. However, instead of immediately treating her, medical personnel did not take her health issues seriously and discharged her, which spearheaded things taking a turn for the worse.

Things had gotten so bad, as a result of her dangerously low oxygen levels, that at one point, doctors advised that Mary’s daughters come and see her. He wanted the girls to say their goodbyes to their mother, who had been healthy and active throughout her life.

However, Mary’s fighting spirit and supportive daughters would not allow her to admit defeat. The Olympian had once said, “I want that healthy future…With four daughters, I plan on throwing four big weddings and hope I’m surrounded by a bunch of grandbabies that they’re going to give me. And I want to be well…”

While she was in the ICU, Mary’s will to survive prompted her daughters to make a positive update on their mom’s health via Shayla Kelley Schrepfer’s social media. In their joint message, they disclosed: “Mom’s progress is truly remarkable!… Although she remains in the ICU, her path to recovery is steadily unfolding…”