Mary Lou Retton’s Daughter Says She Remains in the ICU but ‘Her Path to Recovery Is Steadily Unfolding’

Mary Lou Retton’s daughter Shayla Kelley Schrepfer shared an update Saturday about the Olympic legend’s hospitalization.

Schrepfer posted to Instagram that “Mom’s progress is truly remarkable!” and “Although she remains in the ICU, her path to recovery is steadily unfolding.”

Retton was hospitalized with a rare form of pneumonia earlier this month. Her daughter McKenna Kelley started a *spotfund page for the gymnastics great, who is uninsured and was “unable to breathe on her own” at the time.

Schrepfer added, “Her breathing is becoming stronger, and her reliance on machines is diminishing. Though it’s a lengthy journey, witnessing these improvements is incredibly heartening!”

“She’s responding so well to treatments,” Schrepfer continued.

Donations for Retton have poured in since Kelley’s announcement, and the fund has surpassed its $50k goal by nearly $450,000.

Many fans were surprised to learn that Retton is uninsured and her daughters have not commented on their mother’s health insurance situation “out of respect for her and her privacy.” Epidemiologist and health economist Eric Feigl-Ding wrote on Twitter, “I’m not sure if she’s still wealthy. Something must have happened. Or else they wouldn’t be crowdfunding for her medical bills. Doesn’t make sense.”

Retton is a legend for many American gymnasts. As the first American woman to win a gold medal in the all-around competition, she inspired generations of girls to pursue the sport. She joined the sport after watching Nadia Comăneci in the 1976 Olympic Games and ultimately moved to Houston, Texas, to train with Comăneci’s coaches, Béla and Márta Károlyi.

Known for her upbeat spirit and dogged determination to be one of the best, “The Retton Flip” was named after the superstar in 1984. The move, which was once described by The New York Times as an “affront to gravity,” was removed from the Code of Points due to the potential for stomach injury.

Retton has also courted controversy in recent years. In 2017 she met with Sen. Dianne Feinstein to express her opposition to the bill S.534, “Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act of 2017.” Retton presumably acted at the behest of USA Gymnastics.

The New York Times reported at the time, “The federation has had no shame, either. When the sex abuse bill was introduced, Penny and others from U.S.A. Gymnastics met with Feinstein about the federation’s sexual assault policies. How about this for a public-relations stunt: Tagging along was Mary Lou Retton, the smiling, bubbly sweetheart from the 1984 Games, as they said that the federation’s policies were solid and that gymnastics was a happy, safe place.”

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