Olympian Mary Lou Retton says she almost went on life support in ICU amid battle with pneumonia

Four-time Olympic gold medalist Mary Lou Retton is far from over the finish line in her recovery from a rare form of pneumonia that left her hospitalized last October. In a recent interview with Todaythe 55-year-old revealed the seriousness of her illness, revealing that doctors have considered putting her on life support and remain uncertain about her future.

“This is serious, and this is life, and I'm so grateful to be here. I'm blessed to be here because it was a time when I was going to be put on life support,” said Retton. Throughout her hospitalization, the gymnast's daughters provided her health updates and co-funded medical expenses. More than $460,000 was raised from more than 8,300 donors. Meanwhile, doctors advised to “prepare for the worst” as Retton's condition became increasingly unstable.

“He told me, 'You've got to get your sister here, because we don't know if she's going to make it through the night,'” shared Retton's daughter, Shayla Schrepfer. A momentary saving grace arrived in the form of doctors pumping oxygen directly through Retton's nose, raising her pulse oximeter level high enough to eliminate the need for ventilation.

“I'm not great yet. I know it's going to be a very long road — I don't know how long, I may need oxygen indefinitely — but you have no idea how blessed and how grateful I was for this holiday season,” Retton said. “I mean, when you're facing death in the eye? I have so much to look forward to. I'm a fighter and I'm not going to give up. I'm not going to give up. I have no idea what the future holds for me. I don't know if I will have permanent problems with my lungs. They do not know. I wish I had answers. But I will never give up, it's not in me.”

Retton has been retired for more than 30 years, retiring on a high after winning the America's Cup all-around for the third time in 1985. “I just thought I was a washed-up old sportsman, but love touched me,” she said. Today. “Now that I'm alive and I've made it, there are a lot more positives than negatives.”