Olympic gymnastics great Mary Lou Retton is home from the hospital following her battle with a rare form of pneumonia, according to her daughter.
Retton, 55, was hospitalised earlier this month after she was unable to breathe on her own and was left fighting for her life and she is now recovering at home, McKenna Kelley announced in an Instagram post on Monday.
“Mom is HOME and in recovery mode. We still have a long road of recovery ahead of us, but baby steps,” she wrote in the post on Instagram.
“We are overwhelmed with the love and support from everyone. Grateful doesn’t scrape the surface of the posture of our hearts.”
And she added: “Thank you Jesus, thank you doctors and nurses, thank you to this loving community of support.”
Her family launched a fundraiser for Retton when it emerged she had no medical insurance to cover her medical bills. More than 8,300 people donated nearly $450,000 with the US Olympic & Paralympic Committee also offering to help.
Retton was nicknamed “America’s Sweetheart” after winning five medals during the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. She was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 1997.