Ben Askren, MMA Icon, After Double Lung Transplant: "No Memory From May 28 To July 2"
MMA star Ben Askren made a tearful health admission in a new video that he shared from the hospital bed, after undergoing a double lung transplant.
- Ben Askren underwent a double lung transplant after severe pneumonia
- His family used crowdfunding to raise funds, receiving a £368,000 donation
- Askren has no memory from May 28 to July 2 and said his heart stopped four times
MMA icon Ben Askren shared an emotional video from the hospital bed after he underwent a double lung transplant. The two-time NCAA wrestling champion was hospitalised due to a severe case of pneumonia. He even had to be placed in a medically-induced coma as the doctors looked to replace both of his lungs. Askren's family reportedly had to seek help from a crowdfunding campaign called Help Hope Live in order to arrange funds for Askren's procedure. After one of the donors made a staggering contribution of £368,000, Askren could go through the procedure that saw both of his lungs replaced.
In his first public reaction after the procedure, Askren explained how he no longer remembers anything from May 28 to July 02. He further said that he 'only died four times'.
"Whenever this is all the way over, I actually just read through my wife's journal 'cause I don't remember anything from May 28 to July 2."
"It's like a movie, it's ridiculous. So I only died four times. The ticker stopped for about 20 seconds," the 40-year-old said.
Ben even said that he has "no recollection, no idea" of what happened in that one month period.
The MMA athlete said that he weighs 147 pounds at present, and he hasn't seen his weight dip that much since he was 15 years old.
"I was actually on a scale yesterday and I was weighing 147 pounds. I haven't been 147 pounds since 15 years old."
"That's not ideal. I hope you guys know that, but I got the double lung transplant," Askren added.
"The thing that was most impactful to me was all the love I felt from everybody, and it's almost like I got to have my own funeral," he said. "The outpouring of love from the wrestling community was just amazing. It felt so good."