Ben Askren Receives Double Lung Transplant
Former MMA and wrestling champion Ben Askren has undergone a double lung transplant, according to his wife via social media. Askren, 40, has been hospitalized for the entire month in Wisconsin, his home state, due to severe pneumonia. His wife, Amy, has shared updates on his recovery, expressing her gratitude for the latest progress.According to Amy’s posts, Askren was included in the donor list on June 24. Until June 17, he had been receiving ventilation support. Askren, who developed his professional career in Hartland, Wisconsin, and runs a wrestling academy in the area, retired from MMA in 2019. He was a two-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion and a member of the 2008 U.S. Olympic team. In addition, he held MMA titles in multiple organizations and competed in the UFC at the end of his career. Ben and Amy have three children together.“We are so grateful to share that Ben has received a double lung transplant,” Amy wrote on Facebook. “We are eternally grateful to the donor and their family. This is the beginning of a new lifestyle for Ben, but every new day he has is a gift. It still doesn’t seem real that he was walking around completely healthy just five weeks ago. So much can change so quickly. Please keep Ben in your prayers so that his body accepts the new lungs as if they were his own. I am constantly amazed by all the people who are supporting us at this time. I can’t wait to tell Ben all about this. I hope that in the coming weeks, Ben can give the next update.”
Amy Askren
