Mary Lou Retton Has Pneumonia and ‘Is Fighting for Her Life,’ Daughter Says

The gymnastics champion sprang to stardom at the 1984 Olympics, where she became the first American woman to win a gold medal in the all-around competition. Her family is raising money online, saying she lacks health insurance.

Mary Lou Retton raises her hands and smiles while competing in 1984.

May Lou Retton at the 1984 Olympics, where she won five medals.

Mary Lou Retton, who became one of the most popular athletes in the country after winning the all-around women’s gymnastics competition at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, has pneumonia and is “fighting for her life” in the intensive care unit, her daughter said in a statement this week.

Retton’s daughter McKenna Lane Kelley said on Instagram that her mother “is not able to breathe on her own” and that she had been in the intensive care unit for more than a week.

Kelley asked for donations to help pay for her mother’s hospital bills, saying her mother lacked health insurance. By Wednesday, she had raised more than $260,000 online from more than 4,600 donors.

She did not share more specific information about her mother’s condition, though she said that her pneumonia was “a very rare form.” It was not clear what hospital Retton was in.

Kelley, who was a gymnast at Louisiana State University, did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, another daughter, Shayla Kelley Schrepfer, released a video on Instagram thanking people for “all the love and support that you’ve given to my mom.”

“She’s still fighting,” Schrepfer said. “It’s going to be a day-by-day process, and we hope that you guys will respect her boundaries, as we want to keep the details between her and our family right now. She has been treated with the best of the best professionals here, and it has been such a blessing to have their hands on her.”

At the 1984 Olympics, Retton became the first American woman to win the all-around gold medal or any individual Olympic medal in gymnastics. Going into the final rotation of the competition, she was five-hundredths of a point behind Romania’s Ecaterina Szabo, and the only way she could beat Szabo was to score a perfect 10 on vault.

Retton scored a perfect 10.

She won five medals in Los Angeles, including two silvers, for team and vault, and two bronzes, for uneven bars and floor exercise.

A closeup of Mary Lou Retton, smiling.
Mary Lou Retton in 2009.Credit…Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Though there was an asterisk by Retton’s victory in the history books — the Soviet Union, which was the most dominant force in women’s gymnastics at the time, boycotted the 1984 Games — it nonetheless made her a sports hero in the United States. In addition to earning her the traditional trappings of Olympic gold, like appearing on a Wheaties box, she was widely viewed as an inspiration to a new generation of American girls entering gymnastics.

Even as the American gymnastics program grew and the country won more medals, including the team gold in 1996, Retton’s prominence remained: For 20 years, Retton, now 55, was the only American woman to win the all-around title, until Carly Patterson became the second in 2004.

Retton was born in Fairmont, W.Va., and got her start early, like many top gymnasts. By the time Retton was 7 years old, she was training in gymnastics full-time.

Retton’s talent had been apparent from the start, but a big break came at an Olympics elimination tournament in Reno, Nev., in 1982, where she impressed Bela Karolyi, who would go on to coach her in the 1984 Olympics.

“I immediately recognized the tremendous physical potential of this little kid,” Karolyi said in a March 1984 interview.

Retton appeared in a number of films and TV shows in the late 1980s and 1990s, including the comedy film “Scrooged.”

After her athletic career, Retton became a motivational speaker to promote the benefits of proper nutrition and regular exercise.

Woman Finds Love After Walking the Streets With a “Looking-for-a-Husband” Sign

In a city known for its bustling streets and diverse population, one woman’s quest for love has captured the attention of many. Karolina Geits, a 29-year-old model living in New York, decided to take matters into her own hands after becoming frustrated with the world of online dating. She took to the streets, armed with a sign that read “Looking for a husband,” in the hopes of finding a genuine connection.

She is looking for a real connection.

Karolina Geits, a 29-year-old beauty influencer, took to TikTok to share her story, which has since gone viral. In a video, Geits is seen strutting around downtown Manhattan with her sign, trusting that a dream lover will miraculously appear.

Geits’ unconventional approach sparked plenty of conversation and even led to a potential match. “I decided to make a sign that says ’Looking for a husband’ and walk around the city to see if that would work,” she said. As she strolled through the streets, her 5-foot-9 frame and striking presence caught the attention of many passersby.

She got tired of noncommittal men on dating apps.

After two years of being single, Geits had had enough of noncommittal men on dating apps. Instead of giving up hope, she decided to take matters into her own hands and create a cardboard billboard with her intention. She then hit the streets of New York City, hoping to make an in-person connection with her soulmate.

She might have met the one.

As Karolina wandered the streets of New York City with her cardboard sign she didn’t have to wait long for a suitor. A gentleman approached Geits, curious about her sign and her quest for love. The two struck up a conversation, and Geits was immediately drawn to his kindness and sense of humor.

I exchanged numbers with one of the guys in the video — we’ve been talking for the past few days,” she shared. “We’re just getting to know each other,” she said. “It’s still new, but we’ll see where things go.”

Another beauty is following the same stratgy.

Like Karolina Geits, Yael Friedman Naimark has emerged as a woman unafraid to take a bold and unique approach to finding her soulmate. Going beyond the traditional method of looking for love in the streets, she chose to wear a wedding dress as a symbol of her readiness to say “I do” to the right person. While the outcome of her unconventional approach is still unknown, our hearts are filled with optimism, eagerly anticipating the moment when Yael discovers the deep love and pure happiness she deserves.

While we’ve followed these ladies’ journey in her search for love, there’s a vital question we all need to answer within ourselves. Join us in our next article, where we’ll explore 8 Ways to Know If You Truly Love Someone, helping you unravel the mysteries of your own heart.

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