Mary Lou Retton shares Christmas photo of all 4 daughters following health scare
Mary Lou Retton wished her fans and followers a "Merry Christmas" this week as she shared a photo of her four daughters, who all reunited for the holiday.
The festive picture features Retton's children -- McKenna Lane Kelley, Emma Jean Kelley, Shayla Kelley Schrepfer and Skyla Kelley -- smiling and wearing matching Christmas light headbands.
Retton's family post comes about two months after a life-threatening health scare sent her to the hospital.
In October, the Olympic gold medalist and retired gymnast spent nearly two weeks in the intensive care unit and although she has yet to disclose her diagnosis at the time, one of Retton's daughters had previously revealed that among the conditions Retton had developed was a "very rare" form of pneumonia.
Pneumonia can affect anyone of any age and is an infection impacting the lungs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Pneumonia can be caused by various factors, including a virus, such as influenza, RSV or COVID-19, or a bacterium, such as pneumococcus or Mycoplasma pneumoniae.
Retton, 55, spoke out for the first time following her hospital stay in an Oct. 30 Instagram post.
"I'm beyond blessed to have the opportunity to make this statement," she wrote at the time, while thanking her fans and followers.
"I'm with family continuing to slowly recover and staying very positive as I know this recovery is a long and slow process," she continued. "I appreciate everyone's respect of my privacy at this time. When the time is right, I will be sharing more information about my health issues and hope I can help others who may face the same battle as me. I love you all."
In a follow-up post during Thanksgiving, Retton shared that her health was "slowly improving."
"I want to express how truly blessed and thankful I am to be slowly improving and to be home with my girls, especially after my time in the hospital," she wrote in part.
"On this day of giving thanks, I am reminded of the preciousness of life, the love that surrounds me, and the resilience of the human spirit. Each one of you has played a significant role in my journey, and for that, I am eternally grateful," she added.
Retton captured Americans' hearts during the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles when she won gold in the individual all-around competition. She also won silver medals in the vault and team event and bronze medals in floor exercise and uneven bars.
Her five gymnastics medals in one Olympics is tied with Simone Biles, Nastia Liukin and Shannon Miller for most among Americans.
