Mary Lou Retton says she’s a ‘fighter’ as she recuperates at home following pneumonia scare

By JOHN RABY
AP Sports Writer

Olympic gymnastics great Mary Lou Retton says she faces a long battle recuperating at home from a rare form of pneumonia in which doctors weren’t sure whether she would survive. Retton said during an interview that aired Monday on NBC’s “Today” show that she was almost put on life support in October. Retton says she was sent home after a few days following her diagnosis in a Texas hospital. But she had an immediate setback that required her to be put in intensive care at another hospital. Unable to breathe on her own, Retton went on oxygen treatment. After weeks in the hospital, she improved enough to be sent home.