UFC alum Ben Askren has left the toughest fight of his life a winner. Askren was discharged from the hospital this week after receiving a double lung transplant.
Askren, 41, left the hospital on Tuesday, nearly two months after first being admitted due to severe pneumonia. Askren still cannot walk on his own, but is relieved to be going home with his family.
“Day 59, I’m out, with my beautiful wife, supporter,” Askren said in a video posted online. “Man, that was a long journey, and it’s not over because I still can’t really walk. I’ve got to re-teach myself to do that, among many other things.”
Ben Askren shares health update after pneumonia, double lung transplant: ‘I only died four times’
Brent Brookhouse
Askren credited his levity to his missing memory. The multiple-time MMA champion doesn’t remember much of his early hospitalization, where a pneumonia diagnosis nearly turned fatal.
“I guess I can make light of it because it was me, and I don’t really remember it…” Askren said. “I don’t remember 35 days of this journey. I think surgery was 24 or 25 days ago. It was hard. It was hard.”
Askren thanked the combat sports community for rallying around him. Wrestler Mark Bader, a friend of Askren’s, previously claimed that Askren’s insurance company would not cover the astronomical transplant costs.
“I said this already in one of the videos, but the support you guys gave me, whether it was starting a GoFundMe, whether it was helping my kids and wife get through it, I had friends come from all over the country to hang out for a couple days,” Askren said. “It meant so much. It was so great to just have all the support and all the love. Hopefully I’m not in this situation again for a really, really, really, really long time. I plan on living a while. Thank you guys again for all the positive comments online, everything. It means so much. Love you guys.”
Askren previously claimed he “died four times” during his hospitalization, and lost approximately 50 pounds over 45 days. Fortunately, the worst of this ordeal seems to be in the rearview mirror.
Askren is a two-time NCAA Division I champion who was on the 2008 Olympic team. Askren won championships in Bellator and ONE Championship before signing with UFC. He notably fought former UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler, Jorge Masvidal and Jake Paul, the latter in boxing.
