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Former UFC fighter Ben Askren’s wife, Amy, revealed that her husband received a double lung transplant.
Askren has been in the hospital being treated with a severe case of pneumonia for several weeks. Amy Aksren wrote that her husband was on life support for some time before receiving the transplant.
She wrote on Facebook Monday that, after weeks of waiting for a donor, her husband finally found one.
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Ben Askren stands in his corner prior to his welterweight bout against Demian Maia of Brazil during the UFC Fight Night event at Singapore Indoor Stadium on October 26, 2019 in Singapore. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
“We are forever thankful to the donor and his family,” Amy wrote. “This is the beginning of a new lifestyle for Ben, but every new day he has is a gift. It still doesn’t feel real that he was walking around completely healthy just 5 weeks ago. So much can change so quickly.
“Please keep Ben in your prayers that his body welcomes the new lungs as if they were his own.”
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Amy said on June 24 that Ben was placed on the transplant list.
A donation page was set up to help fund Askren’s treatment earlier this month, and it was updated by Amy nine days after it went live to say Ben was on a ventilator.
She added that doctors were able to “wean his sedation enough for him to open his eyes and squeeze hands.”
Olympian Ben Askren points to the crowd as he enters the mat to face fellow Olympian and New Jersey native Jordan Burroughs (not pictured) during the Beat the Streets “Grapple at the Garden” on Monday, May 6, 2019, in New York. (Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com)
“I am constantly in awe of all the people carrying us through right now,” Amy continued. “I can’t wait to tell Ben all about It. I’m hopeful that in coming weeks Ben will be able to give the next update, but hopefully he will wait until the drugs wear off.”
Askren retired from mixed martial arts in 2019 after owning a 19-2 record. He only fought three times in UFC, winning just one of his bouts.
In 2021, he also fought Jake Paul in a boxing match, where he was knocked out in the first round.
Paul recently said that he plans on donating to Askren to help with medical bills after his recent fight against Julio César Chávez Jr.
Ben Askren prepares to enter the Octagon prior to his welterweight bout against Demian Maia of Brazil during the UFC Fight Night event at Singapore Indoor Stadium on October 26, 2019 in Singapore. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
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Askren was also a wrestler, winning two NCAA titles, while also representing the United States in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
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