HOUSTON, TEXAS: Former Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton is currently being treated in the intensive care for pneumonia.
Retton's daughter McKenna Kelley shared about the condition of her mother on Instagram and noted that Retton does not have any medical insurance.
A few days before being hospitalized in a Texas hospital with pneumonia, the 55-year-old former athlete appeared in a commercial by Colonial Penn Life Insurance Company, which has resurfaced amid Retton's health crisis.
Despite promoting life insurance in an advert, Retton, who made history by being the first American woman to win the Olympic all-around title, did not possess any on her own.
McKenna revealed Retton's condition on October 10, writing on Instagram that she is "fighting for her life" and is unable to breathe on her own.
Retton's daughter initiated fundraising drive to cover medical expenses
According to the Associated Press, due to Retton's lack of health insurance, her daughter launched a crowdfunding effort, which has already surpassed its initial goal.
McKenna, Retton's daughter, said on the crowdfunding platform Spotfund, "My amazing mom, Mary Lou, has a very rare form of pneumonia and is fighting for her life."
"She is not able to breathe on her own. She’s been in the ICU for over a week now. Out of respect for her and her privacy, I will not disclose all details. However, I will disclose that she not insured," McKenna said.
Retton's daughter continued on Spotfund, "We ask that if you could help in any way, that 1) you PRAY! and 2) if you could help us with finances for the hospital bill."
"ANYTHING, absolutely anything, would be so helpful for my family and my mom. Thank y’all so very much!" she added.
The crowdfunding campaign had an initial goal $50,000. However, it has already raised more than $140,900 from more than 2,900 donors.
Mary Lou Retton's lack of insurance shocks Internet
Several social media users and Retton's fans reacted to the former athlete's lack of insurance amid her health crisis.
Writer and lawyer Amee Vanderpool tweeted on X (formerly Twitter), "Here is Mary Lou Retton at the 1984 Olympics in LA, scoring a perfect 10 on vault to become the 1st American woman to win the all-around individual gold in gymnastics. Today, she's in an ICU with no health insurance. Is this how a national treasure should be treated in the USA?"
One X user responded to Vanderpool's post and wrote, "No human in America shouldn’t have healthcare. Famous or not. The supposedly richest country in the world and many citizens are in her shoes everyday. It’s inhumane."
"Everyone deserves to have health insurance and access to quality healthcare," noted a second user.
Another user urged for universal health care, writing, "Mary Lou Retton is in the ICU with a rare form of pneumonia. Her family is there for her but also having to fundraise to pay her medical bills as she does not have health insurance. This is yet another visible reason we need #UniversalHealthcareNow."
Meanwhile, others remarked upon the multi-million-worth athlete's lack of health insurance and her daughter "begging online for money."
One X user enquired, "Mary Lou Retton, daughters are begging online for money for their Mom (who has no health insurance) has pneumonia, net worth is over $8M, mansion measures over 9,000 square feet. (Seriously, no health insurance?) Exactly, what am I missing here?"
A second user asked, "As someone who works every day on systemic level healthcare solutions, I'm genuinely curious: Why does Mary Lou Retton, a 55 year old worth ~$8M, living in a 9K sf Houston mansion not have health insurance?"
Another claimed, "Someone is fundraising, claiming Mary Lou Retton, Olympic champion, has no health insurance and is on a respirator in an ICU. Her net worth is over $5 million. I smell a scam."
Around 10.2% of Americans under 65 lack health insurance
With so many people resorting to websites like GoFundMe and Spotfund to pay for basic expenses, crowdfunding for medical bills has become a usual occurrence.
The Olympic athlete has received an outpouring of support from thousands of admirers, who have sent words of encouragement using the text message feature offered by Spotfund.
According to the most recent data available from the Kaiser Family Foundation, approximately 10.2% of Americans under the age of 65 lack health insurance.
This makes the United States distinct from other wealthy nations for not having universal healthcare, either via a single-payer system like Canada and the UK or a multi-payer system like Australia and Germany.
