Mary Lou Retton Suffers ‘Scary Setback’ in Pneumonia Battle, per Family

Olympic champion gymnast Mary Lou Retton suffered a “scary setback” earlier this week in her battle with a rare form of pneumonia, her daughter Shayla Kelley Schrepfer revealed Wednesday night on Instagram.

An initial report last week painted a grim picture for Retton, as she was said to be “fighting for her life” in the ICU at a Texas hospital. However, Retton made an improvement over the weekend, and things seemed to be heading in a positive direction.

But after a setback this week, the 55-year-old Retton remains in the ICU.

“We were so excited,” Schrepfer began her post. “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.”

Schrepfer noted that Retton had a better day on Wednesday but that she is exhausted from her illness. 

Retton became the first American female gymnast to win gold in the Olympic all-around in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The all-around gold was one of five medals she won in those Games.