(Reuters) - U.S. gymnastics icon Mary Lou Retton is "fighting for her life" and has been in an intensive care unit for more than a week battling a rare form of pneumonia, her daughter said on Tuesday.
Retton, 55, has not been able to breathe on her own, her daughter McKenna Kelley said in a post requesting prayers and donations to help the gold-medal winning star of the 1984 Olympics cover her hospital bills.
She was named Sports Illustrated magazine's "Sportswoman of the Year" and appeared on Wheaties cereal boxes in the wake of her triumph.
She also won American Cup all-around competitions in 1983, 1984 and 1985 before retiring in 1986.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Chris Reese)
Persons:
Mary Lou Retton, McKenna Kelley, Retton, Kelley, Ecaterina Szabo, Rory Carroll, Chris Reese
Organizations:
Reuters, Los Angeles, Games, American, International Gymnastics Hall of Fame
Locations:
Retton, , West Virginia, Los Angeles