Olympic gymnast star Mary Lou Retton slams haters who criticized family for crowdfunding medical bills

Retired Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton has clapped back at “naysayers” who criticized her family for crowdfunding donations for her medical bills.

Branded “America’s Sweetheart,” a 16-year-old Ms Retton dazzled on the Olympic stage and became the first US female gymnast to win an all-round Olympic gold medal in 1984 in Los Angeles.

Four decades on, this October the 56-year-old former athlete fell ill with a rare form of pneumonia and was left fighting for her life in the ICU.

Her daughter McKenna Kelley announced her hospitalisation on Instagram and said that the former star athlete had been unable to pay her medical bills since the Covid-19 pandemic.

The family set up a Spotfund account to raise money to cover their mom’s treatment and donations flooded in.

To date, it has raised almost $460,000 from nearly 10,000 donors, surpassing the initial goal by $390,000.

After weeks in the hospital, Ms Retton was discharged and continues to recover at home.

Ms Retton told Entertainment Tonight about the moment that she learned her daughter had set up the crowdfund and cash was rolling in. “I was sobbing,” she said.

While she was elated, the fund received mixed reactions from the public.

“Mary Lou Retton’s daughter has now raised over $300,000 to cover the medical bills of a millionaire conservative who *refused* to buy health insurance,” one person wrote on X.

“Correction! *Millionaire* Mary Lou Retton *CHOSE* not to pay for health care. Now her kids want to protect their inheritance,” another person wrote in a separate post.

Ms Retton pushed back on the attacks on her daughters for trying to help their mom.

“They didn’t deserve that, they were just trying to take care of me. I don’t care about the nay-sayers. There’s trolls everywhere, whatever,” she told Entertainment Tonight.

olympic gymnast star mary lou retton slams haters who criticized family for crowdfunding medical bills

Mary Lou Retton celebrates her balance beam score at the 1984 Olympic Games in LA (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

“It’s what makes us America; everybody’s got an opinion. You’re welcome to your opinion,” she said, adding: “But you aren’t in that situation. My daughters stepped up to the plate and they saved my life.”

Ms Retton insisted that the crowdfunded money is only going towards her medical bills and that whatever is left will be donated to the American Lung Association.

While she is better than she was in October, Ms Retton said she is still recovering and has to use portable oxygen apparatus to help her breath while her lungs heal.

Once she regains strength, doctors will perform a biopsy to try and understand what happened, she said.

She is currently hoping to go on tour with her daughter in January 2025 to discuss her life on and off the gymnastics mat, according to Ms Kelley’s Instagram post earlier this month.

“It’s a very long recovery, I’m still on oxygen, and I had a bit of a relapse a while ago, but I’m back and regulated,” she told the outlet.

“It’s just more discouragement than anything because, you know, patience isn’t one of my strong skill sets.”

The Independent has always had a global perspective. Built on a firm foundation of superb international reporting and analysis, The Independent now enjoys a reach that was inconceivable when it was launched as an upstart player in the British news industry. For the first time since the end of the Second World War, and across the world, pluralism, reason, a progressive and humanitarian agenda, and internationalism – Independent values – are under threat. Yet we, The Independent, continue to grow.

OTHER NEWS

26 minutes ago

Chris Billam-Smith says experience was the key in avenging Richard Riakporhe loss

26 minutes ago

Baby-wearing dads celebrate Fathers’ Day with record-breaking walk in S’pore

26 minutes ago

‘In South Africa, you hear of disappearance all the time’: one photographer’s search for his sister’s missing years

26 minutes ago

HMRC has failed to fine a single ‘enabler’ of offshore tax fraud in five years

26 minutes ago

Cameron Smith's shirt at the 2024 U.S. Open is a periodic table of alcohol — and you can own it, too

26 minutes ago

From Oregon Trail to Wurdweb, five fun games to play on Apple Arcade this summer

26 minutes ago

2 dead, 6 injured in shooting at Texas Juneteenth celebration: officials

29 minutes ago

Inmates take staff hostage at a detention center in southern Russia

33 minutes ago

Seibold lauds gutsy Manly after 30-14 win over Dragons

33 minutes ago

Saudi FM: Ukraine peace process will need Russia’s participation

33 minutes ago

How to pick a watermelon: Sweet and ripe every time

33 minutes ago

Ratcliffe must axe Man Utd ace who earns 4x more than Branthwaite

33 minutes ago

Rachel Stevens admits she was left in 'turmoil' after falling for Dancing on Ice partner Brendyn Hatfield ahead of 'messy and scary' split from husband Alex Bourne

33 minutes ago

Brave Kate is a beacon of light in new behind-the-scenes Trooping the Colour video - as Waleses reveal they are 'in awe' at 'incredible' ceremony that included Princess' Buckingham Palace balcony appearance

39 minutes ago

The Rev James Lawson, Martin Luther King’s right-hand man in the Civil Rights struggle – obituary

39 minutes ago

Here’s how I’d target £1,580 in passive income next year using a £20k Stocks and Shares ISA

39 minutes ago

Artem Dovbyk’s path from Ukraine’s third tier to La Liga’s finest finisher

39 minutes ago

Christian Eriksen to complete football's greatest comeback - "I'd died for five minutes"

39 minutes ago

Slovenia vs Denmark: Euro 2024 prediction, kick-off time, TV, live stream, team news, h2h, odds today

39 minutes ago

Poland vs Netherlands: Euro 2024 prediction, kick-off time, TV, live stream, team news, h2h, odds today

39 minutes ago

Larsson: Barca need signings to win trophies next season

39 minutes ago

I have a terminal brain tumour and doctors have given me a year to live - I want this Father's Day to be the best ever in case it's my last one

39 minutes ago

Israel announces daily 'tactical pause' in fighting in southern Gaza to let humanitarian aid flow into the war-torn region

39 minutes ago

Tom Parker widow Kelsey says their young children, Aurelia, 4, and Bodhi, 3, still make Father's Day cards for the singer two years on from his death

39 minutes ago

We're parenting experts and here are 9 tips to help you survive Father's Day as a single mother

39 minutes ago

Inside King Charles's changing relationship with Prince William and Prince Harry amid family turmoil in recent years - as he celebrates Father's Day without his youngest son

41 minutes ago

Jayden Daniels has signed his rookie contract with the Washington Commanders

43 minutes ago

Taylor Swift Chokes Up On Stage During Final Liverpool Concert In Eras Tour

45 minutes ago

Michael Clarke appears to confirm romance with new real estate guru Arabella Sherborne as they enjoy romantic holiday on the Gold Coast

45 minutes ago

Driver shares frustration with photo of 'gas guzzler' parked in electric charging spot: 'Why is it that pickup truck drivers have such hate for EVs?'

45 minutes ago

The Wanted singer Tom Parker's kids make him Father's Day cards two years after death

45 minutes ago

New tool for tactical votes in Tory-held seats aims to change voting system

45 minutes ago

Whatever way you look at it, the Dublin Mayo rivalry covered up for years of poor football

47 minutes ago

Billy Crystal poked fun at Robert De Niro’s acting on set of ‘Analyze This’

47 minutes ago

Céline Dion believes late husband’s spirit is still in her life

47 minutes ago

Keith Richards got so wasted on Rolling Stones tour he was flown to another country while still in bed

47 minutes ago

Clive Myrie reveals shocking extent of racial abuse faced as BBC newsreader

48 minutes ago

France seek fast start to help end 24 years of waiting for European Championship glory

49 minutes ago

Richards Bay have Premiership fate in own hands with AmaTuks draw

49 minutes ago

In Sudan, Russia's Africa strategy advances another step