Mary Lou Retton Has Pneumonia and ‘Is Fighting for Her Life,’ Daughter Says

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.

Mary Lou Retton raises her hands and smiles while competing in 1984.

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.

A closeup of Mary Lou Retton, smiling.
Mary Lou Retton in 2009.Credit…Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

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.

The Internet Is Losing It Over This Hidden Leopard In The Snow Picture

There are many different types of pictures that we can appreciate. They sometimes say that a picture is worth a thousand words, and I think that the picture we have for you below certainly qualifies.

The reason why it qualifies is because it shows something that is near and dear to our hearts, the ability of animals. When you think about camouflage, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? More than likely, you think of somebody wearing a camouflage outfit.
The fact the matter is, however, many animals have a natural type of camouflage and they can hide in plain sight. They may be right in front of us but unless you know where they are, you
will never be able to see them.

That is true of the leopard in the picture we have for you here. There isn’t a camouflage jacket or anything else that would hide him other than what he already has available.

When you look at the picture, however, it just looks like you are looking at a scene that you might see in any National Park. It’s amazing, but if you look closely enough, there is a leopard hiding in the picture. You can see him because he is perfectly camouflaged but they are there looking at you.

When this was shared online, people were absolutely blown away by the fact that a leopard was hiding in the picture. Automatically, they assume that the leopard is white, but that is not the case.

Like many animals, leopards are able to hide in plain sight. It helps them to get closer to their prey so that they can eat more frequently. In addition, it helps them hide from other animals that may want to do them harm.

The challenge was put out on Reddit for people to find the hidden leopard, and the Internet was absolutely losing its mind. Even though the post was put up six months ago, many people are still looking for the leopard.

Some people thought that it was a trick and that the leopard didn’t actually exist. We are going to point it out for you below, however, just so you know we are telling the truth.

I’d like to give you a warning before you scroll down to see the answer. The leopard is there and it is not some type of trick photography. Once you see where it is located, however, you
will not be able to stop seeing it.

Take a moment to try to find it on your own and then if you are not able to find it, scroll down and see the answer below.

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