Olympian Mary Lou Retton Fights Back From a Devastating Illness With Family and Faith (EXCLUSIVE)

With her bright smile and explosive gymnastics style, Olympic Gold Medalist Mary Lou Retton captured the hearts of people everywhere with her historic win at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. She became the first American woman to win the all-around gold medal in Olympic gymnastics, and also won two silver and two bronze medals, quickly becoming America’s sweetheart.

40 years later, Retton still has that winning smile, and her determination doesn’t seemed to have diminished one bit, although the past year has brought challenges she never imagined. The mother of four daughters nearly died in 2023 when she contracted a rare form of pneumonia.

During this difficult and scary time, Retton relied on her family to keep stay strong and positive.

“For 40 years, people have come up to me saying, ‘God, you inspired me,’” she tells Woman’s World as our covergirl (Buy the magazine here!). “But it’s my daughters who inspire me — what they did for me, how they’ve stood by me, how strong they were. They saved my life. They are extraordinary young women."

She continues, "You can take my five Olympic medals. All I want are my kids, if I had to choose. They are incredible. I was literally on my death bed — not an exaggeration. They’ve shown me pictures. I don’t even remember, and I don’t recognize myself. It’s so surreal.”

Read on to learn more about how Mary Lou Retton bounced back from the unthinkable.

Mary Lou Retton is still adjusting

The West Virginia native, who now makes her home in Texas, has struggled to regain her health over the past year, and still has to be on oxygen.

“I was doing a TV commercial the day before. I was completely fine and then it hit me,” the former Wheaties spokesperson says.

As a veteran athlete, she's no stranger to injuries and hospitalizations. “I’ve had over 30 orthopedic operations, five hip replacements, metal in my back, two neck replacements, shoulders and knees, but I’ve got to say my ankles are pretty good,” she says.

“Lungs are a different beast," she notes. "I could rehab the orthopedic stuff within months because I know it. That was my deal, but the lungs have brought me down.”

While Retton has always put on a brave face, she readily admits she’s struggled with waves of discouragement, saying, “I’m just all over the place.”

“With this illness, I feel like I have aged 50 years, but I eat healthy. I always have," she says. "I try not to do processed foods. I used to walk a lot and work out. I’m slowly getting back to that. I’m still on oxygen, so I’m hindered by how much I can do."

Day-to-day tasks have become more difficult than they once were. "You should see the load of laundry that I need to do. That’s embarrassing to say, but I don’t even have the energy to get up and do my whites," she says.

Leaning on her faith

Retton admits her physical challenges have at times tested her faith. “When I first got sick, I was angry because I had been through so much before,” she reveals.

“I said to God, ‘I’m tough. Don’t you see it? I know you are testing me.’ But I believe God does things for a purpose," she says. "I don’t know what my lessons are, but I’m trying to open my mind and listen and find out what the meaning of all this is. If you’re a believer, you need to look to the Lord. That’s where I get my strength.”

Through all the hard times, Retton's faith in God and the love and support of her daughters have ultimately buoyed her spirits. Divorced after 28 years of marriage, she's also started dating a new man who makes her smile and is looking forward to her first grandchild being born this month.

Finding time to feel good

When asked what she does to relax and pamper herself, Retton says it’s all about spending time with family.

“A ‘me’ day looks like taking all four girls to get a mani-pedi. That’s our thing,” she smiles. “We love to cook together. I’m Italian and I love that they saw me cook their entire childhood. They were athletes and ate breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. They all love it, and they all cook today and that’s huge," she says. "It just makes me so proud that they are following in my footsteps.”

Retton still struggles with body confidence

As a mother of four daughters, Retton has always encouraged her girls to be confident in their bodies, but she admits it’s something she still struggles with.

“I’m so insecure, especially about my body. I’ll still pinch myself to see if I’m pinching an inch,” she says, acknowledging the way women used to measure body fat.

“It’s so ridiculous with us women and what we put ourselves through," she observes. "I can’t be 16 again. I’ve had four children, but it was pounded into my head. It’s pounded into all women’s heads because of social media and the ads we see."

“We just need to love who we are, and honestly it’s still a struggle for me,” Retton confesses. “With my sickness, they put me on these high doses of steroids, and they make you swell up like a blow fish. I put on 12 pounds and it wasn’t fat. It was like bloat, water. It saved my lungs, but I felt so bad about myself and I’m starting to get back. They are weaning me off, but I’m not there yet. I have a wedding in September, so I won’t even get my dress yet because I’m not where I want to be.”

Though she’s still recovering from her illness, Retton isn’t letting anything stop her from enjoying her life. She encourages other women to step out and take chances, especially when it comes to finding love again.

“I never really needed a man, nor do I,” she says contentedly. “I’m very independent, obviously, because I left home at 12 years old, but lately I’m seeing somebody. It’s fun, but it’s scary. I don’t know how to date. My ex was my only boyfriend. I met him when I was 17 and we were married for 28 years."

After her divorce, Retton faced her fears, and the results so far have been joyous. “I met an incredible man through my daughter McKenna," she says. "She was like, ‘Mama, I want to set you up. This guy is awesome!’ So we’ve been seeing each other. My advice is to be set up,” she says with a laugh. “Don’t give up on love.”

Whether it's love, healing, faith or family, it's clear that Retton is a fighter, and will never give up on the things she holds close to her heart.