The family of Olympic champion Mary Lou Retton have assured the gymnast is making “remarkable” progress after contracting a strange form of pneumonia that landed her in intensive care.
McKenna Kelly, one of Layton’s four daughters, posted an update on Instagram on Saturday, saying Layton, 55, was breathing stronger and that he was “making progress on the road to recovery.”
“While this will be a long road, it’s incredibly encouraging to witness the progress,” Kelly posted. “He’s starting to respond to treatment.”
Leighton, the first American female gymnast to win the Olympic all-around title at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, is “fighting for her life” after being diagnosed with pneumonia, her family announced this week. Unable to breathe on his own.
Donations started pouring in after Layton’s family launched a fundraiser to pay for Layton’s medical expenses; the family revealed that Layton had no health insurance. As of Saturday afternoon, 7,500 donations had been made, totaling $415,000.
At age 16, Layton won a gold medal at the 1984 Olympics and became an icon of the U.S. Olympic movement. She also won two silver and two bronze medals in the same event, helping to popularize the sport of gymnastics. Before that, it had been dominated by Eastern European countries such as Romania and the Soviet Union.
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