Retired UFC veteran Ben Askren remains hospitalized with severe pneumonia and now he’s awaiting a lung transplant as his next course of treatment.
The latest update comes from Askren’s wife Amy, who revealed that he’s on the transplant list awaiting a possible donor. She added that Askren has been awake at times and he has attempted to communicate while he continues to receive help with his breathing.
“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.”
Askren was hospitalized several weeks ago after he was diagnosed with a severe case of pneumonia that required him to be placed on a ventilator as well as an ECMO machine — Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation — which is a life support tool used by doctors when a patient’s heart or lungs is unable to operate adequately.
Askren’s wife has continued to provide updates while he remains hospitalized and unable to speak. She previously revealed that it was possible he could need a lung transplant for his best chance at recovery.
The 40-year-old veteran has received an outpouring of support from the MMA and wrestling community after he was a stalwart in both sports for many years. He retired from the UFC in 2019 and eventually returned for a boxing match against Jake Paul.
Lately, Askren’s main occupation has been coaching wrestling at his academies in Wisconsin after he represented the United States in the 2008 Olympics after he was a two-time National Champion for the University of Missouri.
