Olympic Gymnast Mary Lou Retton Couldn't Breathe & Was Found Lying on the Floor by a Neighbor

The famous Olympian Mary Lou Retton has been battling a health condition and was once found lying on the floor by a neighbor. When the neighbor found her, she had lost the ability to breathe.

Gymnast icon Mary Lou Retton, 55, has been battling a rare form of pneumonia for some time that has rendered difficulties with breathing and prompted the current use of an oxygen tank. The disease was so severe that it previously landed her in the ICU.

Yesterday, the Olympic gold winner sat down for an interview with "Today's" Hoda Kotb, in which she spoke about the fight for her life. In the video, Kotb asked the 55-year-old how she felt before her health scare in October last year.

Retton, who was joined by her eldest daughter, Shayla Kelley Schrepfer, revealed that the day before she fell sick had been a regular one where she and Schrepfer had gotten their nails done. She then explained: "I was feeling tired, but I'm thinking, 'I turn 56 this month...' "

Schrepfer then noted that her mom felt "out of breath." The following day, Retton, who had been scheduled to meet up with her daughters at a Dallas football game, found herself incapacitated and unable to lift herself from her bedroom floor. Luckily, a neighbor had noticed that Retton's car door had been left open in her driveway and entered the home to alert the gymnast icon, whom she then found on the ground.

After the neighbor drove Retton to a hospital, she was then diagnosed with pneumonia. However, instead of immediately treating Retton, medical personnel did not take her health issues seriously and discharged her, which spearheaded things taking a turn for the worse.

Things had gotten so bad, as a result of her dangerously low oxygen levels, that at one point, doctors advised that Retton's daughters come and see her. He wanted the girls to say their goodbyes to their mother, who had been healthy and active throughout her life.

However, Retton's fighting spirit and supportive daughters would not allow her to admit defeat. The Olympian had once said, "I want that healthy future...With four daughters, I plan on throwing four big weddings and hope I'm surrounded by a bunch of grandbabies that they're going to give me. And I want to be well..."

While she was in the ICU, Retton's will to survive prompted her daughters to make a positive update on their mom's health via Shayla Kelley Schrepfer's social media. In their joint message, they disclosed: "Mom's progress is truly remarkable!... Although she remains in the ICU, her path to recovery is steadily unfolding..."

Now that Mary Lou Retton is out of the ICU, she continues on her journey to recovery and shared that the outpouring of love from her fans was significantly impactful for her as she had not expected it.