Mary Lou Retton’s First Words After Scary Hospitalization

A week after her hospital release, Mary Lou Retton is breaking her silence!

On Monday, Mary Lou wrote on Instagram, “I'm beyond blessed to have the opportunity to make this statement. I am overwhelmed with the love and support from the world as I fight. I am forever grateful to you all!"

Of her road to recovery, Retton shared, “I'm with family continuing to slowly recover and staying very positive as I know this recovery is a long and slow process."

Mary Lou is planning on opening up more about her health. She said, “When the time is right, I will be sharing more information about my health issues and hope I can help others who may face the same battle as me. I love you all."

Last week, Mary Lou’s daughter McKenna Kelley revealed that her mom was released from the hospital after battling a rare form of pneumonia for weeks.

Kelley wrote, “Mom is HOME & in recovery mode. We still have a long road of recovery ahead of us, but baby steps.”

She continued, “We are overwhelmed with the love and support from everyone. Grateful doesn’t scrape the surface of the posture of our hearts.”

It’s a huge improvement for Retton, who couldn’t breathe on her own and was in an ICU just weeks ago.

Retton, now 55, was a household name in the 1980s. She took home gold in gymnastics at the 1984 Summer Olympics, making history as the first American woman to win the all-around gold. The athlete also earned two silver medals and two bronze that year.

Her performance earned her the title of Sports Illustrated’s Sportswoman of the Year, and her face appeared on a Wheaties box. After winning the American Cup all-around competition for the third time in 1985, she retired in 1986.