Ben Askren doesn’t plan to dwell on his current situation.
The MMA community was shocked to learn that Askren was in for the fight of his life on a hospital bed. The former Bellator and ONE Championship titleholder was in need of a double lung transplant to breathe unassisted.
Askren is recovering from the surgery and he admits he found himself briefly wallowing in self-pity before taking a different approach.
RELATED: WATCH | EMOTIONAL BEN ASKREN GIVES HEALTH UPDATE FROM HOSPITAL BED: “I ONLY DIED FOUR TIMES”
Ben Askren Checks Himself to Remain Positive
In a new video posted on Instagram, Ben Askren reflected on a moment where he felt sorry for himself. The former UFC welterweight quickly snapped out of the funk and he has an uplifting message (via MMAFighting).
“I’m going to plead guilty — I felt guilty for myself one time,” Askren explained. “That doesn’t do anybody any good. I thought man, I never smoked one cigarette, never smoked any weed, never did anything. Why did my lungs get stolen from me? Why isn’t this happening to someone who smokes habitually?
“Then I realized, it happened. It’s over. It’s done with. I can be bitter and angry. I could whine, cry. That’s not going to help anybody. I am where I am now and I’m going to move forward the best that I can. So I hope you guys are enjoying the updates. I will not feel sorry for myself. I’m going to get out of here pretty soon and I hope you guys have a great day.”
Askren still has a long road to recovery, but he’s in a much-improved spot than when he was fighting for his life while not knowing if he’d be able to get the double lung transplant. Many within the MMA community have sent well wishes to Askren.
