Mary Lou Retton as a gymnast stands out. The one who made history in the 1984 Olympic ground, fell victim to a life-threatening disease. America’s sweetheart, who once reigned over gymnastics with perfect 10s, got struck with a rare form of pneumonia. Moreover, her shortness of breath didn’t let her function without support. To announce the news and ask for monetary assistance, her eldest daughter took to the social media handles. With immense support from fans and family, Mary emerged as a true fighter. As her health gets better, one of her closest family members updates the netizens.

Marley Washinetz, one of Mary’s cousins, followed her guided path like everybody else. Besides her daughters, Marley also gives most of her career credits to the legend. Though the absence of health insurance posed initial difficulties, the global support counted big. Recently, she shared about Mary’s worth-the-wait recovery updates.

Mary Lou Retton’s athletic cousin opens up

The University of Pittsburgh Panthers sophomore guard credits her cousin Mary for a successful athletic career. Having trained under the same coach in Fairmont Virginia, Washineton, she shares her adorable bond with the Olympian. Always keeping family on top, the basketball guard said, “It’s just because of how close we were and how much love we had for each other and how much we cared.” Besides the caring bit, she also asserted that Mary’s smile always kept her hopes up.

Acknowledging the indomitable spirit the Olympian has and the number of supporters who helped her through, Marley got teary-eyed. While stating that “She’s definitely making strides,” she attributed her progress to the 7000 supporters. After the raised amount came close to half a million, she showed gratitude. “The whole nation, just their prayers, their support, the amount of money they’ve made from donations is amazing and, like I said, she’s not insured, and it’s because she’s had so many surgeries in her life.?She’s probably had 30 plus ? just from being a gymnast is such a hard sport on your body. Just hips, knees.”

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However, this is not the first time that Mary underwent a treatment. She had mindfully decided to treat her hip after a prolonged gymnastics career. Though she was in shock in the beginning, the Olympian just went for it.

Mary’s hip replacement journey

In her early thirties, the doctor dumbfounded her with a scary health update. She said, “I was in shock when my surgeon told me I needed a total hip replacement. The thought of having another surgery didn’t scare me, but mentally I felt I was too young to have a metal hip in my body.” Her discomforting left hip snatched her sleep. Gradually, the pain got worse and the 55-year-old developed a chronic pain. After five years of medication, she underwent the surgery. However, when she opened up about her daily activities, the doctor suggested a system with low chances of dislocation. However, her unique condition of hip dysplasia didn’t put a halt to her career. After gymnastics, she pursued a television career and became a motivational speaker.

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Though her health insurance issue created a commotion in the beginning, her fans made up for it. As the family keeps a watchful eye on her, the world expects a speedy recovery.