According to Shayla Kelley, another one of Mary Lou Retton’s daughters, their family didn’t want Retton to bear the financial obligations brought about by her hospitalization. “We were just thinking, ‘If she pulls through, the last thing we want her to have to think about is paying off these bills,'” she told the “Today” show. Soon enough, they mobilized to set up a fundraising initiative on Retton’s behalf.
Meanwhile, the athlete opened up to Hoda Kotb about the circumstances that led to her inability to afford health insurance. She mentioned various factors, including her divorce from Shannon Kelley and a range of other medical concerns, which had an adverse impact on her financial situation. The COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbated these difficulties, hindering her ability to earn a steady income. “When COVID hit and after my divorce, and all my pre-existing — I’ve had over 30 operations of orthopedic stuff — I couldn’t afford it,” she said. “But who would even know that this was going to happen to me?”
It goes without saying that the demands of gymnastics put a significant physical toll on Retton’s health, which led to her having to undergo multiple surgeries. Even her appearance on “DWTS” resulted in various injuries, incurring another round of trips to the hospital. “I’m pretty beat up,” she told People in 2018. “I popped a rib last week, so that’s pretty painful. I have a bad knee, and I’m pretty sure I re-tore my rotator cuff, which I’ve had three operations on, so that’s not fun. I’ll probably have some more operations in the future, but it’s alright.”
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