Olympics legend Mary Lou Retton has admitted that she will "never be the same" following her battle with pneumonia as she acknowledged that she came close to death.
The 56-year-old wrote her name into the history books with her heroics at the Games in Los Angeles back in 1984, as she famously secured gold in the individual all-around women's competition. Forty years on from the moment that made her an overnight national hero, Retton has opened up on her health battle after contracting a rare form of pneumonia back in October.
The plight of the legendary retired gymnast struck a chord with the public after her four daughters set up a SpotFund account to help finance her treatment last year. Showing the swell of support for the icon, some $500,000 was received from Good Samaritans from her home country and further afield.
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After being taken to the ICU after being found on the floor of her home by a friend, her children and loved ones were informed that Retton was facing a fight for her life. Eventually, she was able to rally and the gymnastics favorite was able to return home following the medical emergency.
However, Retton has revealed that the interim months between then and now have been challenging as she continues her recovery -while admitting she will "never be the same", before telling People : "It’s been really hard. My lungs are so scarred. It will be a lifetime of recovery. My physicality was the only thing I had and it was taken away from me. It’s embarrassing."
The 1984 Games breakout star vowed "God wasn't ready" for her as she contemplated her own mortality, admitting that she came close to passing away, saying: "Girl, I should be dead. The doctors told them [daughters] to come to say their goodbyes. They prayed over me, and McKenna said, 'Mommy, it’s OK, you can go'."
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Paying tribute to her daughters, she also acknowledged that her own anguish at the harrowing ordeal they went through back in October She continued: "I didn’t have much of a relationship with my mother, but I can’t imagine what that was like, to watch their mom on her deathbed."
In a wide-ranging interview, Retton also looked back at the moment when she became the first American woman to secure the all-around gold medal in Olympic gymnastics. Recalling the iconic scenes four decades ago, she said: "My coach Bela Karolyi looked at me and said, ‘Mary Lou, you need to give a 10. He’d never said that before.
"I was like, 'you’re putting pressure on me? I’ll show you!' You can see on the video that I was smiling before my feet touched the floor. she says, remembering how she stuck the landing. The Pauley Pavilion was shaking with all the cheering. They were all shouting, 'Ten! Ten! Ten!'."
The U.S. sporting hero added: "I had gone above and beyond all I’d ever wanted to do,” she says, “which was to win something at the Olympics. And then I went and won the whole thing."
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