Ben Askren has been the recipient of a double lung transplant following his recent battle with pneumonia, according to his family.
Askren, the former US Olympic team member and welterweight champion of Bellator and ONE Championship, has been fighting serious health issues for several weeks after first contracting a staph infection and then developing severe pneumonia.
Askren’s wife, Amy Askren, said in an update on her husband’s condition last week that the 40-year-old retired fighter had been placed on a transplant list to receive a new set of lungs – and in her latest update, she stated that Askren has now undergone the procedure.
“We are so thankful to share that Ben has received a double lung transplant,” she wrote in a message posted to social media.
“We are forever thankful to the donor and his family. This is the beginning of a new lifestyle for Ben, but every new day he has is a gift. It still doesn’t feel real that he was walking around completely healthy just 5 weeks ago.
“So much can change so quickly. Please keep Ben in your prayers that his body welcomes the new lungs as if they were his own. I am constantly in awe of all the people carrying us through right now. I can’t wait to tell Ben all about it.
“I’m hopeful that in coming weeks Ben will be able to give the next update, but hopefully he will wait until the drugs wear off.”
Askren has been fighting the ailment in a Wisconsin hospital for several weeks, and was placed on ventilator support on 24 June, his wife said.
It had previously been disclosed by the Askren family that his health insurance company had informed them that the lung transplant procedure would not be covered – a development which has prompted outcry in the MMA community and beyond.
One of his former opponents, Jake Paul, said last weekend following his boxing win over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. that he intended to financially contribute to Askren’s recovery.
According to estimates available online, the cost of a lung transplant in the United States ranges from $300,000 to $400,000.
Askren competed in 22 professional mixed martial arts bouts, attaining a record of 19-2 (1) at the point of his retirement more than five years ago. In collegiate wrestling, Askren won three Big 12 championships and two NCAA Division I titles for Missouri, along with winning gold at the 2005 Pan American Championships and the 2009 World Championships. He reached the quarter-finals of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
