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.

You Won’t Believe Your Eyes: Unseen Princess Diana Photos Finally Revealed!

Princess Diana earned the title “The People’s Princess” because she was loved by many, not just because it sounded nice. She was important to the British people because of her charity work and kindness. She once said she wanted to be the Queen in people’s hearts, not just on paper.

Her death in a tragic accident in Paris was one of the saddest events in recent British history. Even though she’s gone, people still remember her, especially through her sons William and Harry.

We’ve seen many beautiful photos of Diana over the years, but some of them haven’t been talked about as much.

Princess Diana’s life had many challenges, and she passed away when she was still young. After she married into the royal family, she faced a lot of difficulties, and people followed her everywhere.

Diana had two sons, Harry and William, who she raised on her own.

Even with all the struggles, Diana was a loving mother. She always put Harry and William first, wanting them to have as normal a childhood as possible.

Diana often took her boys to fun places like amusement parks. She knew they were royal, but she also wanted them to have regular kid experiences. Sometimes, she would even take them out of the palace to eat fast food.

Her chef, Darren McGrady, once said Diana came into the kitchen one day and said, “Cancel lunch for the boys, I’m taking them out, we’re going to McDonald’s.” He was surprised, but Diana said it was because the boys wanted the toys that came with the meal.

William and Harry loved spending time with their mom. She raised them to be like any other kids, and in many ways, they were!

Diana always wanted to be the best mom she could be, even though she knew brothers sometimes fight.

She wanted her sons to always be close friends.

A historian named Robert Lacey talked about Harry and William’s childhood in his book. He said Diana wanted her boys to promise to always be best friends.

Lacey mentioned a psychic named Simone Simmons in the book. Diana apparently told Simmons’ sons to promise to always be best friends. Both boys promised and hugged their mom.

It was a really sweet moment. Then, they went to play soccer together.

From the beginning, Diana put her children first, even though she was royal. She wanted to keep them close and protect them from anything that might separate them, even from the rest of the Royal Family.

A statue of Diana was revealed by William and Harry. Even though they promised to always be close, their relationship has gotten worse lately. It started when Harry decided to leave the Royal Family in 2020.

A year ago, William and Harry got together on what would have been Diana’s 60th birthday to show off a new statue of her. The statue, made of bronze, showed Diana with three kids and was put in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, where she used to live.

They said in a statement that they remember her love, strength, and the good things she did in the world. They wish she was still here, and they hope the statue will always remind people of her.

This year marked 25 years since Diana died. William and Harry both remembered her, but they did it separately.

A source close to the royal family told People Magazine that William spent the day quietly with his wife, Kate Middleton, at Windsor.

Ahead of the anniversary on August 31, Harry spoke about his mother, saying he hoped to make her proud.

Princess Diana – Charles’s affair with Camilla

“I want it to be a day filled with memories of her incredible work and love for how she did it,” Harry said on the anniversary. “I want it to be a day to share the spirit of my mum with my family, with my children, who I wish could have met her. Every day, I hope to do her proud.”

Besides leading an extremely public life, Diana had personal issues like any other person. For the Princess, one of the biggest problems involved her husband, then-Prince Charles.

Just years after his wedding to Diana, Charles engaged in an affair with Camilla, who would later become his wife.

According to Prince Charles’ authorized biography, as quoted by Town Country, their affair started in 1986. Charles was still married to Princess Diana then, and she found out about it.

In 1989, Diana confronted Camilla over the affair, telling her to back off.


Diana once spoke to Camilla, telling her she knew about her and Charles. She said Camilla had everything she could want, including two beautiful kids, but Diana still wanted her husband back. Diana felt sad and knew what was happening, not wanting to be treated like she didn’t know.

At Diana’s funeral, the Queen did something unusual. Normally, she doesn’t have to bow to anyone. But at Diana’s funeral, she broke that rule and bowed to Diana’s coffin as it passed by her.

Things didn’t stay normal for Charles and Diana for long. In 1992, they said they were separating, but they still did their royal duties. Four years later, they got divorced. Diana got to keep her home and title as Princess of Wales, but she gave up the title of Royal Highness and any claim to the throne.

Diana’s death in 1997 was a big shock to everyone. Her funeral was in Westminster Abbey, and then she was buried at Althorp Park, her family’s home. More than 2000 people came to her funeral. After the ceremony, her coffin was taken through London, where people could say goodbye.

Diana was always followed by photographers. She was one of the most photographed people in the world. Newspapers paid lots of money for her photos, even if they were blurry.

Her sons, William and Harry, saw how the press treated her. Harry said he wanted to leave the Royal Family when he was young because of how they treated his mom before she died.

Over the years, many photos of Diana were taken. Some were just for selling, but some showed her warmth and her life. There are lots of unseen photos of Diana out there. People are now sharing them to show a different side of her.

Diana became a style icon at the height of her fame, and she took that with her to the slopes while skiing.

In 1990, Diana and the children – alongside her sister’s children – went to Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands. Virgin’s Richard Branson owned the island.

Diana sure knew how to have fun. Look at this beautiful picture of when she and Harry visited the amusement park Thorpe Park in 1992.

Diana was often referred to as “The People’s Princess.” She participated in many humanitarian efforts, setting an excellent standard for how a kind and compassionate person should behave. Here, Princess Diana is seen visiting an Orthopedic workshop in Luanda, Angola, sitting with victims of land mines.

We can go on and on about these beautiful pictures of Diana. This one was taken in 1971 when she was on a summer holiday in Itchenor, West Sussex.


This one was taken outside Diana’s flat in Coleherne Court, London, before her engagement to Charles.


In this picture, Harry is poking his tongue out at people near Buckingham Palace. Diana looks a bit surprised.

The brand Barbour is still popular with royals, but Princess Diana wore it the best.

Diana really liked Barbour. During a visit to the Outer Hebrides in Scotland in 1985, she wore a Barbour-style waxed cotton jacket, and it suited her perfectly.


In this picture, Harry is sticking out his tongue to people near Buckingham Palace. Diana looks a bit surprised.

The clothing brand Barbour is still loved by royals, but Princess Diana may have worn it the best.

Diana really liked Barbour. During a visit to the Outer Hebrides in Scotland in 1985, she wore a Barbour-style waxed cotton jacket, and it suited her perfectly.

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