After being admitted to the intensive care unit and spending over a week in the hospital with a rare type of pneumonia, Mary Lou Retton, Olympic gymnast and gold medalist, is receiving top medical care and "still fighting," her daughters said Wednesday.
Earlier in the week via a crowd-funding site, Retton's daughters revealed their mother was "fighting for her life" due to the rare pneumonia and was not able to breathe on her own, and that they needed financial support as her mother has no health insurance.
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On Oct. 11, Shayla Kelley Schrepfer — Retton's eldest daughter — shared an update on Instagram about her mother's condition.
“As far as an update goes, she’s still fighting,” Schrepfer said. “It’s going to be a day-by-day process, and we hope that you got to respect her boundaries as we want to keep the details between her and our family right now. She’s been treated with the best of the best professionals here, and it has been such a blessing to have their hands on her. So please continue the prayers and we cannot thank you enough for the love and support that you guys have shown.”
In the video, she also thanked everyone "for all the love and support that you’ve given to my mom. My sisters and I are overwhelmed. We’re overwhelmed."
Health
“We didn’t even realize that so many people out there love her just as much as we do," Schrepfer continued in part. "It’s been a really hard time for our family. And so just seeing that people love her like that and showing her that support is just meant the world to us and to her. So thank you.”
Retton is the mother to Schrepfer, McKenna Lane Kelley, Skyla Kelley and Emma Jean Kelley. She shares her four daughters with former University of Texas quarterback Shannon Kelley, whom she divorced in 2018, according to People.
On Oct. 11., Retton's other daughters also shared updates to their Instagram accounts.
Skyla Kelley wrote: "Thank y’all for all of the love and support. God is good! She’s the strongest woman we know, and He is resilient and has His hands around during time of battle."
Mckenna Lane Kelley added: “My sisters Skyla, Shayla and Emma and I would like to thank everyone for the outpouring of love and support for our Mom. Mom is in ICU and continues to fight. She is getting incredible medical care! Thank you to all the doctors and nurses! We ask for continued prayers and positive thoughts for our Mom.”
TODAY's Morgan Cheskey reported on Oct. 12 that Retton was able to text earlier in the week, corresponding with her former "Dancing With the Stars" partner, Sasha Farber.
What is Mary Lou Retton's condition?
Mary Lou Retton's condition is a rare form of pneumonia, and she's continuing to receive treatment in the hospital, her daughters Emma Jean Kelley and McKenna Lane Kelley shared on Oct. 10, asking social media users for support.
The two sisters shared a link to the crowd-funding site Spotfund on their Instagram stories, and one of her daughters confirmed her illness to NBC News.
“Please help my mom continue to fight,” Emma Jean Kelley’s story read. “Anything helps.”
The link to the Spotfund page reads “Mommas hospital funds,” and states that it is an appeal for help with covering Retton's medical costs as she deals with a rare form of pneumonia.
"My amazing mom, Mary Lou, has a very rare form of pneumonia and is fighting for her life," the post reads in part. "She is not able to breathe on her own. She’s been in the ICU for over a week now. Out of respect for her and her privacy, I will not disclose all details."
The campaign has received donations from more than 6,000 people, amassing more than $350,000.
Mary Lou Retton does not have medical insurance
The Spotfund page created for Mary Lou Retton noted that does not have medical insurance.
"We ask that if you could help in any way, that 1) you PRAY! and 2) if you could help us with finances for the hospital bill," the post continued. "ANYTHING, absolutely anything, would be so helpful for my family and my mom. Thank y’all so very much!"
The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee said it is working to provide assistance to Retton's family through its relief fund, adding Retton had just attended its annual assembly just two weeks ago.
“Please know that our hearts are with Mary Lou,” the committee said in a statement to NBC News.
Retton represented the United States at the 1984 Summer Olympics at the age of 16
She won five medals at the Olympics, which was held in Los Angeles that year, including a gold for her performance in the individual all-around competition.
At the games, Retton became the first woman in U.S. history to win the Olympic all-around gold medal, and she was later featured on the front of the Wheaties cereal box.
She would appear on the box three times, according to the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame, a feat which the organization once noted put her in an “elite group of athletes.”
Though she retired in 1986, Retton was pulled back into the spotlight of competitive gymnastics due to the 2016 USA Gymnastics sex abuse scandal. Though they were not implicated, her former coaches (Bela Karolyi and Márta Károlyi) were criticized for their role in fostering an environment for convicted sex offender Larry Nassar to operate.
Who are Mary Lou Retton's daughters?
Shayla Kelley Schrepfer is a bodybuilder and alumnus of Baylor University in Waco, Texas. According to her Instagram profile, is a National Physique Committee competitor. McKenna Lane Kelley previously practiced gymnastics at Louisiana State University. Skyla Kelley attended Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. Emma Jean Kelley is currently a gymnast at the University of Arkansas.
In 2019, McKenna appeared on TODAY to speak about growing up with a history-making mom.
“I don’t think I understood the enormity of what she did and the groundbreaking gymnastics that she did at the time,” Kelleys said at the time. “To me, she’s just Mom.”
Retton also appeared during the interview and offered advice to girls eager to become gymnasts too.
“They absolutely need to start at the ground level and build back up,” she said. “A culture of acceptance, a culture of safety. These girls have to feel safe.”
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
