Olympic Gymnast Mary Lou Retton Breaks Silence on Health Battle

“My amazing mom, Mary Lou, has a very rare form of pneumonia and is fighting for her life,” she wrote in a post to Spotfund, after launching an online fundraiser to cover medical bills. “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 [is] not insured.”

And as Mary Lou—who is also mom to daughters Shayla, 28, Skyla, 23, and Emma, 21, with ex-husband Shannon Kelley—continued to fight for her life, her eldest child reflected on how the gymnast’s fans rallied around her.

“Thank you guys again for just the support,” Shayla said in an Oct. 18 Instagram video. “I’m getting so many messages and emails, and just it’s so great to see people love on her.”