The former MMA champion Ben Askren said he had lost 50 pounds in 45 days after having contracted pneumonia and obtained a double pulmonary transplant: “I only died 4 times”
Ben Askren, a veteran of mixed martial arts (MMA) who also represented the United States, the fight at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, is awake and speaks after having survived one of the most exhausting battles of his life – not in the octagon, but in a hospital bed.
Askren, 40, revealed on Wednesday in an Instagram post which he had lost 50 pounds in just 45 days after having contracted severe pneumonia, which finally led to a double pulmonary transplantation.
“In fact, I just read my wife’s newspaper because I don’t remember anything between April 28 and July 2,” said Askren. “I only died four times, where the ticker stopped for about 20 seconds. Not ideal. ”
Askren added that while learning to use everything again and resume strength, he recorded his weight on Tuesday and learned that he was 147 pounds. “I haven’t measured 147 pounds since the age of 15,” he said.
In the video above, Askren fights on tears, saying what was most impactful for him “was the love I felt of everyone. It was almost as if I had to be at my own funeral.”
“The outpouring of the love of the wrestling community was simply incredible. It was so good,” he said. “I feel motivated to continue to restore. I love you guys and you appreciate guys. ”
Askren retired from MMA in 2019 after participating in the UFC, Bellator and a championship. He remained unbeaten both in Bellator and one, where he was also the oldest champion in the history of each organization. Askren remained active in the Combat Sports community, including a brief passage where he tried professional boxing – resting against Jake Paul by Knock -Out of the first round (TKO) in 2021.
Askren was admitted to the Wisconsin hospital in May with a serious case of pneumonia. But according to his wife, Amy, who detailed the test on Facebook, the disease became so bad that it was finally put on a fan and, finally, added to the list for a pulmonary transplant.
“He still doesn’t feel real that he was walking entirely in good health only 5 weeks ago,” wrote Amy in an article on Facebook on June 30. “So many things can change so quickly.”
Pneumonia, especially if it is complicated by other factors such as underlying infections or immune suppression, can cause irreversible damage to pulmonary tissue. In the case of Askren, the infection was so serious that the two lungs failed, requiring double pulmonary transplantation. Surgery consists in removing the two affected lungs and replacing them with healthy donor organs, a process that is also accompanied by its own risks and requires permanent immunosuppression to prevent the rejection of the new fabric.
According to Illustrated sportsAskren’s double lung transplant cost around $ 2 million, which was not going to be covered by his health insurance, so his wife Amy turned to crowdfunding to encourage donations from friends, family and fans. In particular, Jake Paul said he would help cover Askren’s medical invoices, while slamming the CEO of the UFC, Dana White, and the medical insurance industry as a whole for not having to help.
“None of these people, like Dana [White] Or anyone, intervenes. So I feel like I have to do something, “said Paul at a press conference.
