Former Olympic wrestler and MMA star Ben Askren is opening up about his recent, serious health issues, including that he “died four times“ and underwent a double lung transplant.
In an Instagram video posted July 9, he explained that he experienced the ordeal between May 28 and July 2 and does not remember anything from that time period.
“I actually read through my wife’s journal because … (I have) no recollection, zero idea, no idea what happened,” he in a video of him in a hospital bed.
“It’s like a movie. It’s ridiculous. So I only died four times, or the ticker stopped for about 20 seconds,” he continued. “That’s not ideal. You guys know that, but I got the double lung transplant. I made it to the other side of it, gaining quite a bit of strength. We’re going to use everything again.”
Askren has been in a Wisconsin hospital with pneumonia, the Associated Press reported. He coughed and struggled at times to speak in the video, where he said he’s lost 50 pounds over the span of 45 days.
“I was actually, honestly, yesterday, 147 pounds. I haven’t been 147 pounds since (I was) 15 years old,” he said.
Askren reiterated, “I don’t remember most of it,” and said the “most impactful” thing “was the love I felt from everybody.”
“It’s almost like I got to have my own funeral,” he added.
Askren, who was born in 1984, also vowed to work hard on his road to recovery.
“I’m more motivated than ever to get back and do what I can to help out the best I can to help out,” he said. “I love you guys, I appreciate you guys. It’s been tough, not only on me, but my whole family and my close community.”
Askren also posted a photo of himself in bed that was shared by MMA Uncensored, which said he had four heart attacks.
In 2019, Askren announced his retirement from MMA with a 19-2-1 record.
Prior to that, he won two NCAA Division I national championships while wrestling at the University of Missouri. He also was on the United States’ wrestling team at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
According to his social media, the champion wrestler and MMA fighter suffered from a severe case of pneumonia and has been in the hospital for several weeks.
His wife, Amy, said in early June on social media that her husband was in the hospital in critical condition and required a ventilator due to a staph infection. She also shared that he would likely need a lung transplant.He was placed on the organ donor list on June 24.
In Askren’s July 9 update, he shared that he’d had four heart attacks and had received a double-lung transplant. He also said he’s lost 147 pounds over the past month and a half due to his health issues.
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