Mary Lou Retton Update: Olympic Hero Takes a Major Step Forward

Mary Lou Retton may still be fighting, but she's no longer fighting in ICU. The Olympic hero's battle with pneumonia took a turn for the better recently.

In 1984, Retton became the first American to win gold in the all-around gymnastics competition when she did so at the Summer Games in Los Angeles.
On Oct. 10, her daughters revealed she had been in intensive care battling a rare form of pneumonia since earlier that month.
Two updates would follow, with the first offering signs of progress and hope, and the second urging caution.

The latest update came via her daughter McKenna on Oct. 23.

"Mom is home & in recovery mode," she shares.

"We still have a long road of recovery ahead of us, but baby steps."

In revealing her mother's initial diagnosis, daughter Shayla noted that her mother did not have health insurance. A SpotFund pledge drive was created to help cover medical costs, and quickly it grew to more than $450,000. McKenna didn't specifically thank donors, but she did recognize the well-wishes coming their way in recent days.

"We are overwhelmed with the love and support from everyone," she writes on Instagram. "Grateful doesn't scrape the surface of the posture of our hearts."

"Thank you Jesus, thank you doctors & nurses, thank you to this loving community of support," she adds in closing.

Retton — now 55 years old — was 16 when she scored back-to-back perfect 10 scores to win the 1984 gold medal. She became famous instantly and was the darling of television media for months into years.

She even appeared on the cover of the Wheaties box, which was a big deal in the mid-'80s.

Most recently fans saw her dancing on ABC's Dancing With the Stars. She finished ninth during the shows 27th season.

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