Ben Askren’s wife Amy has confirmed that the retired MMA star is now on the transplant list for a new lung after his recent battle with severe pneumonia.
“As of late last night, Ben is officially on the transplant list,” Amy Askren wrote on Facebook. “Please pray he can get stronger and stay stable without complications while he waits, and that they find an amazing match for him and he accepts it smoothly. Also please pray for whoever that donor may be, and his family. It’s going to be a huge adjustment for Ben, but our family is so thankful that his other organs are ok and that there is a path forward.
“While he is having more periods of awareness, he’s not able to look at his phone yet and respond to messages. I am hoping he can get there in the next week or two! Also hoping we will get to a place soon where he can talk while on a trach. Yesterday he kept mouthing something for a while and we finally figured out he was saying coffee! (He can’t have it yet lol) What a huge relief to see him asking for something so normal. I’m so thankful his mind is healthy and I can’t wait to have him back. We are also so thankful for the amazing community we have-from close friends, friends we haven’t talked to in 20 plus years, to strangers who have reached out to share their similar stories or pray. Thank you.”
The 40-year-old Askren is a former Olympic wrestler who went on to have a long reign as champion in both the Bellator and ONE FC promotions, before also having a brief stint in the UFC late in his career.
There’s been an outpouring of support from both the MMA and wrestling communities since the news of Askren’s illness first became public, and an official fund-raising campaign by his family and friends has also been launched to help pay for Askren’s medical expenses as his insurance won’t cover the cost of the lung transplant.
Donations to the fund can be made here.
