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.
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.
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.
Fаns fееl sоrry fоr Jеnnifеr Lореz аftеr Веn Аfflесk’s рhоtоs with Jеnnifеr Gаrnеr wеnt virаl
With the few exceptions of celebrities who have stayed together for years and are still going strong, most Hollywood marriages eventually end up in divorce, and the public is always eager to learn more when A-list couples start to separate. Recently, the media has been obsessed with the relationship between Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck, who tied the knot in July 2022 following a second engagement.
Rumors of Trouble in Paradise
Amid rumors of their split, photos of Affleck and his ex-wife Jennifer Garner have gone viral, heating the speculations even further. The former couple has been seen together in Santa Monica, which has stirred up various reactions on social media. Some fans of Lopez have expressed their displeasure, with one person calling Garner “a dаngеrous, obsessed woman, using kids to control a weak man, one with addiction and depression issues.”
Another fan added, “I’m happy Affleck and Garner split because him being unhappy with her was the reason for his alcohol addiction.”
However, others fondly remember the days when Affleck and Garner were together. “Ben and Garner are the real ‘Bennifer.’ They belong together with their kids but Ben is a fool,” one commenter nostalgically remarked.
Co-Parenting and Moving On
The reality is that Affleck and Garner have remained friends who co-parent their children effectively. They have been seen hugging on occasion, dressed casually during their outings. Affleck was spotted in blue jeans, a gray long-sleeved top, and white Air-Jordan Nikes, while Garner opted for gray slacks, a long-sleeved black top, and sunglasses.
Interestingly, it appears that Garner and Lopez also get along well. A source close to them described their relationship as “very cordial and very healthy and functioning.”
Garner, who has entered a new relationship following her divorce from Affleck, is reportedly happy with her current family dynamics. A source close to her stated, “Garner is in a great space and feels good about where things currently stand with her new family dynamics.” The source also added that Affleck and Garner “have open communication and both are working to make this transition the best it could possibly be.”
Affleck’s Professional Success
While many believe that Affleck’s personal life is falling apart, his professional life is thriving. In August, the film he co-produces and stars in, “The Instigators,” will be released. This serves as a reminder that despite the turbulence in his personal relationships, Affleck continues to find success in his career.
In the world of Hollywood, where relationships are often under the microscope, Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner, and Jennifer Lopez are navigating their personal dynamics while maintaining their professional commitments. Their ability to co-parent effectively and sustain cordial relationships amidst rumors and public scrutiny is commendable.
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