Retired Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast Mary Lou Retton experienced a “scary setback” in her fight against a rare form of pneumonia this week, after showing remarkable progress towards recovery just days ago, her daughter said Wednesday night.
Retton is still in the intensive care unit and is “really exhausted” after the setback, her daughter Shayla Kelley Schrepfer said in a video posted to Instagram.
“At the beginning of this week, we were going on the up and up. We were so excited, seeing so much progress, and then yesterday we had a pretty scary setback,” Schrepfer said. “She is still in ICU, and we’re just working through some things as far as her setback goes.”
This month, Retton’s family announced the 55-year-old had a rare form of pneumonia that left her fighting for her life. Her daughter McKenna Kelley started an online fundraiser on behalf of Retton’s four daughters to help support the medical costs, noting that Retton is uninsured.
Earlier in the week, Schrepfer said that although 55-year-old Retton still needed intensive care, her breathing was becoming stronger, and she no longer had to rely so heavily on machines.
“Mom’s progress is truly remarkable!” Schrepfer wrote. “Prayers have been felt and have been answered.”
Pneumonia is a respiratory infection that can cause the lungs to fill with fluid, with symptoms that can range from mild to life threatening. Adults older than 65, children younger than 5 and those with other medical conditions are most at risk. The family did not specify the type of rare pneumonia her mother is diagnosed with.
FILE- Mary Lou Retton reacts to applause after her performance at the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles on Aug. 3, 1984. Retton. 55, is in intensive care in a Texas hospital fighting a rare form of pneumonia, according to her daughter McKenna Kelley. (AP Photo/Suzanne Vlamis, File)
FILE – Mary Lou Retton, of the United States, performs on the balance beam during the women’s gymnastics individual all-around finals at the Summer Olympics on Aug. 3, 1984, in Los Angeles. Retton. 55, is in intensive care in a Texas hospital fighting a rare form of pneumonia, according to her daughter McKenna Kelley. (AP Photo/Suzanne Vlamis, File)
FILE – In this Aug. 4,1984, file photo, USA Gymnast Mary Lou Retton scores a 9.80 result on the beam in Los Angeles during the 1984 Summer Olympic Games. The US Olympic Committee selected Los Angeles as replacement candidate for 2024 games on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2015. (AP Photo, File)
America’s Mary Lou Retton holds up her arms during her routine on the Balance Beam during the Women’s Gymnastics event at the Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles, California, USA on August. 5, 1984. (AP Photo)
Olympic gold medalist Mary Lou Retton performs in the final event of the American Cup gymnastics competition in Indianapolis on March 3, 1985. Retton became the first woman gymnast to win three American Cup titles with first place finishes in all four womens events. (AP Photo/DA)
Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton of Houston, Texas performs on the balance beam at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif., on Feb. 3, 1985, during the Vidal Sassoon Looking Good Tour. (AP Photo/Liu Heung Shing)
Mary Lou Retton of Fairmont, W. Va., vaults her way to a gold medal in the womens individual finals of the McDonalds 1983 International Gymnastics Championships at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles on Sunday, August 28, 1983. Retton also won a gold medal in the uneven parallel bars and one in the floor exercise. She won a bronze medal in the balance beam. (AP Photo/Lennox McLendon)
American gymnast Mary Lou Retton with her gold medal for women’s gymnastics at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, Calif., Aug. 5, 1984. (AP Photo)
Olympic gold-medal gymnast Mary Lou Retton poses for a photo in New York in this Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2008. (AP Photo/Hillary Rhodes)
Mary Lou Retton on the balance beam March 5, 1984. (AP Photo)
Seen here is gymnast Mary Lou Retton during the floor exercise at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, Calif. in 1984. (AP Photo)
American gymnast Mary Lou Retton preparing for the horse vault at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, Calif., Aug. 5, 1984. (AP Photo)
American gymnast Mary Lou Retton celebrates after a victory at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, Calif., Aug.12, 1984. (AP Poto)
Mary Lou Retton of the USA is hugged by her coach, Bela Karolyi, following her perfect performance in the floor exercise in Olympic individual all-around finals Friday night, Aug. 3, 1984 in Los Angeles. Retton won the gold medal in the event. (AP Photo/Sadayuki Mikami)
Mary Lou Retton of the USA beams after winning the gold medal in Olympics individual all-around gymnastics competition Aug. 3, 1984. (AP Photo)
Mary Lou Retton, 1984 Olympic gold medalist, sits for an interview during a visit to the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Wednesday, March 30, 2016. Retton appeared in San Jose to promote the 100-day countdown for the Olympic women’s gymnastic trials to be held at the SAP Center in July. (Gary Reyes/Bay Area News Group)
HOFFMAN ESTATES, IL – FEBRUARY 21: Mary Lou Retton, former Olympic Gold Medalist in Women’s Gymnastics, looks on during the 2009 Tyson American Cup at the Sears Centre on February 21, 2009 in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
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“We hope that you guys will respect her boundaries, as we want to keep the details between her and our family right now,” Schrepfer said in an earlier Instagram post.
Retton won five medals during the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles – more than any other athlete at those games – making her a household name.
She was the first US woman to earn an Olympic gold in the individual all-around event and was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 1997.
