(CNN) — Olympic gymnastics legend Mary Lou Retton says she is lucky to be alive after the 55-year-old was hospitalized last year with a rare form of pneumonia that left her unable to breathe on her own.
Pneumonia is a respiratory infection that can cause the lungs to fill with fluid, with symptoms that can range from mild to life threatening. Adults older than 65, children younger than five and those with other medical conditions are most at risk. Retton’s family did not specify the type of rare pneumonia diagnosis.
Now wearing a nasal cannula, a device which supplies additional oxygen, Retton admitted she is in a very vulnerable state.
“I’m very private … Usually my interviews are, “Oh yes, it felt great to win the Olympics,’ Retton said on NBC Sunday, in a preview released ahead of the full interview which airs Monday.
“This is serious, and this is life. I am so grateful to be here. I am blessed to be here because there was a time when they were about to put me on life support.”
Retton captured American hearts in 1984 when she was the first US gymnast to win the Olympic gymanastics all-around competition.
Dubbed “America’s Sweetheart” after winning five medals during the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, Retton parlayed that into appearances in movies, TV shows, ads and on the front of boxes of Wheaties.
In 1997, she was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame.
In October last year, Retton said she was “overwhelmed with the love and support from the world” as she started her recovery.
“I am forever grateful to you all,” she said in an Instagram post.
“I’m with family continuing to slowly recover and staying very positive as I know this recovery is a long and slow process.”
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