Mary Lou Retton shares her first statement since hospitalization: 'I'm beyond blessed'

Mary Lou Retton is recovering at home with the help of her daughters after suffering from a serious illness and being in the intensive care unit for about a month in late 2023.

Since the Olympic gymnast left the hospital, her daughters have been sharing updates about life with their mom, who is still recovering after being diagnosed with a rare form of pneumonia.

One of the most recent updates from the famous athlete herself came during Thanksgiving, when she wrote on Instagram that her heart was "overflowing with profound gratitude" that she'd been "slowly improving."

About a month earlier, on Oct. 30, she shared her first statement on Instagram since being hospitalized for pneumonia.

“I’m beyond blessed to have the opportunity to make this statement,” she wrote in her post shared to her personal account. “I am overwhelmed with all the love and support from the world as I fight. I am forever grateful to you all!”

“I’m with family continuing to slowly recover and staying very positive as I know this recovery is a long and slow process,” Retton continued her post.

“I appreciate everyone’s respect of my privacy at this time. When the time is right, I will be sharing more information about my health issues and hope I can help others who may face the same battle as me. I love you all. — MLR.”

The update comes nearly three weeks after Retton — who became a tour de force in the world of '80s gymnastics as a teen — was first reported by her daughters to be in crisis.

Retton’s daughters’ revealed that she was in the ICU “fighting for her life” with pneumonia on Oct. 10. At the time, Retton’s daughters asked for financial support in a crowd-funding page, explaining that Retton didn't have health insurance.

In the weeks since, Retton's daughters have kept followers up to date on her continuing fight and thanked them for their continued support.

Read on for information about Retton and her health.

How is Mary Lou Retton doing?

Mary Lou Retton wrote that she's "slowly improving" in a Thanksgiving update. About a month earlier, in an Oct. 23 Instagram post, her daughter McKenna Kelley shared that she was home after spending about a month in the hospita.

"Mom is HOME & in recovery mode," McKenna Kelley wrote at the time. "We still have a long road ahead of us, but baby steps. We are overwhelmed with the love and support from everyone. 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 concluded.

Retton is also mother to daughters Shayla Schrepfer, Skyla Kelley and Emma Jean Kelley. She shares all four daughters with former University of Texas quarterback Shannon Kelley, whom she divorced in 2018, according to People.

The news of her being discharged from the hospital came just four days after Schrepfer said in an Instagram video that Retton had experienced "a scary setback" as she continued to recover from pneumonia in the hospital.

"At the beginning of this week, we were going on the up and up," she said. "We were so excited, seeing so much progress, and then yesterday we had a pretty scary setback. She is still in ICU, and we’re just working through some things as far as her setback goes.”

"She had a better day today, which is great," Schrepfer continued, adding that her mother was "just really, really exhausted."

She ended her video message by thanking her followers and her mother's fans for their support. "I'm getting so many messages and emails and it's so great to see people love on her," she added.

Earlier in the week, Schrepfer had shared “uplifting news” about her mother.

“Although she remains in the ICU, her path to recovery is steadily unfolding,” she said. “Her fighting spirit is truly shining! Her breathing is becoming stronger, and her reliance on machines is diminishing. Though it’s a lengthy journey, witnessing these improvements is incredibly heartening!”

Schrepfer said that her mother has been responding “so well” to treatments and thanked her followers for “overwhelming love and support.”

Three days prior, Schrepfer let fans know that Retton was "still fighting" in a video posted to Instagram.

“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," Schrepfer said. "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.”

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."

“We didn’t even realize that so many people out there love her just as much as we do," Schrepfer continued. "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.”

A day after first announcing their mother's illness, Skyla Kelley and McKenna Kelley thanked fans for their support on Oct. 11.

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 illness?

Mary Lou Retton's condition is a rare form of pneumonia, and she's was receiving treatment in the ICU, daughters Emma Jean Kelley and McKenna 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 in part: "My amazing mom, Mary Lou, has a very rare form of pneumonia and is fighting for her life. 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 8,300 people, amassing almost $460,000.

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.

“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

Retton won five medals at the 1984 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. Although 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 article was originally published on TODAY.com