U.S. gymnastics legend Mary Lou Retton is "fighting for her life" in the intensive care unit as she battles pneumonia, according to her daughter, McKenna Kelley.
Retton has been in the ICU for over a week due to "a very rare form of pneumonia," according to a note on a *spotfund account set up by Kelley. Retton is unable to breathe on her own, according to Kelley.
"Out of respect for her and her privacy, I will not disclose all details. However, I will disclose that she not insured," Kelley wrote on the *spotfund page.
"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. ANYTHING, absolutely anything, would be so helpful for my family and my mom. Thank y’all so very much!"
Retton, 55, made history as a 16-year-old at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, becoming the first American woman to win an individual Olympic gold medal in gymnastics. Her individual all-around gold was one of five medals she captured at the 1984 Games, along with two silver and two bronze medals.
Making Retton's historic performance even more impressive was that it came just weeks after she had arthroscopic surgery on her knee.
“We did three months of rehabilitation in two weeks," she recounted years later.
Retton was inducted into the U.S. Olympics Hall of Fame in 1985 and the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 1997.
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