Latest news with #OlympicLegend
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Family member of Mary Lou Retton makes alarming claim about her health after DUI arrest
Mary Lou Retton is still unable to draw a full breath and only needs one drink to 'throw off her brain chemistry', her ex-brother-in-law has revealed after her recent DUI arrest. The 57-year-old Olympic legend, who overcame a near-fatal illness back in 2023, was arrested on May 17 in Marion County for 'driving under influence of alcohol, controlled substances, or drugs' before being released after personally posting a $1,500 bond. Just over a year since a rare form of pneumonia left her fighting for her life in a hospital ICU, news of Retton's booze-fueled antics sparked concern as she continues to undergo treatment for long Covid and lung problems. And according to Shaun Kelley, the brother of her ex-husband Shannon, just one drink is capable of causing a chemical imbalance in Mary Lou's brain because of the medications she's currently taking. 'She couldn't even take a full breath when I talked to her, she takes these little panting breaths,' Shaun told The New York Post about his ex-sister-in-law, whom he says has no history of alcohol abuse. He also added: 'She is on all these meds and one drink could throw off her brain chemistry. Retton, who is said to be 'healing' well and laying low in West Virginia since the arrest, came under fire in the wake of her pneumonia battle over $500,000 worth of charity donations made to help fund her medical bills. After her four daughters - whom she shares with Shannon - set up a crowdfunding page, the family soon drew criticism after refusing to clarify where the donations would be going. Retton's claim to not have insurance was also doubted by some. But seven years on from her divorce from his brother, Shaun said: 'She's a great mother and a giving person, she raised four amazing daughters,' before adding that he hopes she gets better. While there was a happy ending for her in 2023, doctors briefly feared for Retton's life as her daughters delivered what they thought would be their final farewell to their mother. Even now, the former gymnast fears she will never properly recover from the damage to her lungs. 'It's been really hard,' she said in an emotional interview with People in 2024. 'My lungs are so scarred. It will be a lifetime of recovery. 'My physicality was the only thing I had and it was taken away from me. It's embarrassing.' Retton believes she recovered from the terrifying ordeal as 'God wasn't ready' for her yet, despite admitting that she is extremely fortunate to still be alive. 'Girl, I should be dead,' she added. 'The doctors told them [daughters] to come to say their goodbyes. 'They prayed over me, and McKenna said, 'Mommy, it's OK, you can go.' 'I didn't have much of a relationship with my mother, but I can't imagine what that was like, to watch their mom on her deathbed.'
News.com.au
14-05-2025
- Health
- News.com.au
‘My heart stopped': Olympic legend Dawn Fraser's chilling revelation
Australian sporting icon Dawn Fraser has revealed her heart stopped weeks after she had a serious fall last year as she detailed just how close she has come to death not just once but twice in the past six months. Last December, the Olympic legend had a nasty fall at her Noosa home which landed her in the ICU. The Australian Olympic swimming legend tripped on an unfinished driveway, breaking her ribs and a major hip bone. Fraser was then informed she needed a hip replacement but was chillingly told by doctors in no uncertain terms it was not a safe operation and she could die on the operating table. So doctors asked if she would give consent to her daughter Dawn-Lorraine to make medical decisions. 'That was the frightening part, was the fact that I might die under anaesthetic and I didn't want to die that way,' Fraser told 10 News presenter Sharyn Ghidella in an interview on Wednesday. Weeks after the fall, Fraser again looked death in the face when she suffered a cardiac episode while at the local surf club and revealed her heart had even stopped for several seconds. 'Unfortunately, I started to feel very faint and I fainted,' she said. 'They said that my heart had stopped for five seconds and I had a very low heart rate.' Fraser was subsequently fitted with a pacemaker and has since begun her long recovery which her daughter labelled 'a nightmare'. 'It's been a nightmare, she's been a nightmare,' her daughter Dawn-Lorraine told 10 News. Fraser's recovery has been a difficult road. She has lost 22kg and has battled with depression. But now almost six months old, Fraser says while he is still a 'little bit fragile on her feet' she fights every day to get better. 'I can still shower myself and take myself to the bathroom, but I can't make my own bed or open many doors,' she continued. 'It's a fight every day, but at least I'm doing it. Some days I feel 87. Other days, I don't … I lost a lot of strength and weight, but I'm fighting to get it back.' Fraser is one of Australia's greatest-ever Olympians winning two golds in the 100m freestyle and 4x100 free at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. Fraser also won gold in the 100m freestyle at the 1960 Olympics and again at the 1964 Games. In her illustrious swimming career, Fraser broke 27 world records and was the first female athlete to be handed a Legend status by the Australian Sport Hall of Fame in 1993.
