Mary Lou Retton fears she'll 'never be the same' after near-death pneumonia battle: 'My lungs are so scarred'

Gymnastics legend Mary Lou Retton has spoken out on the devastating effects of her battle with pneumonia and claimed: 'I'll never be the same.' 

Retton, who famously won gold at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, was rushed to hospital back in October after her neighbor found her lying on the floor while suffering with a rare form of the disease.

After being taken into intensive care while fighting for her life, the 56-year-old's four daughters even said their final goodbyes to their mom after doctors expressed fears that she wouldn't make it through the night.

Fortunately, Retton pulled through in the end and was eventually sent home by doctors after a couple of days.

Yet after such a major health scare, the former Olympic hero now fears she will never properly recover from the damage to her lungs.

'It’s been really hard,' she said in an emotional interview with People. 'My lungs are so scarred. It will be a lifetime of recovery. 

'My physicality was the only thing I had and it was taken away from me. It’s embarrassing.'

Retton believes she recovered from the terrifying ordeal as 'God wasn't ready' for her yet, despite admitting that she is extremely fortunate to still be alive.

'Girl, I should be dead,' she added. 'The doctors told them [daughters] to come to say their goodbyes.

'They prayed over me, and McKenna said, "Mommy, it’s OK, you can go." 

'I didn’t have much of a relationship with my mother, but I can’t imagine what that was like, to watch their mom on her deathbed.'

As their mom battled the rare form of pneumonia in hospital, Retton's four girls set up a SpotFund account to pay for her medical bills and eventually raised an estimated $500,000 in donations.

However, the family soon drew criticism after refusing to clarify where the donations would be going, while Retton's claim to not have insurance was also doubted by some.

'They didn't deserve that,' Retton said in May when asked about the backlash her daughters received.

'They were just trying to take care of me. I don't care about the naysayers. There are trolls everywhere. It's what makes us America. Everybody's got an opinion, but it is what it is.'