Former UFC fighter Ben Askren underwent a double lung transplant, his wife said Monday on social media.
Amy Askren expressed her gratitude for her husband receiving the transplant and thanked the donor and his relatives in a Facebook post.
“This is the beginning of a new lifestyle for Ben, but every new day he has is a gift,” she wrote. “It still doesn’t feel real that he was walking around completely healthy just 5 weeks ago. So much can change so quickly.”
The 40-year-old was hospitalized May 30 and put on a breathing tube, Mark Bader, Askren’s friend and a broadcaster at FloWrestling, said. Askren developed severe pneumonia, per ESPN. He was also thought to be suffering from a staph infection, according to Bader.
His wife, whom he shares three children with, said there were good and bad days throughout his health battle. They could occasionally ease Askren off sedation to where he was alert and could squeeze his loved ones’ hands, according to a post.
Amy told followers that Askren was put on a ventilator and Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO), a life support system. He was then put on the transplant list on June 23, she said.
“I’m hopeful that in the coming weeks Ben will be able to give the next update, but hopefully he will wait until the drugs wear off,” Amy concluded Monday.
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Author: Dillon B
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