Amy Askren, who is the wife of former UFC star Ben Askren, has provided a positive update on her husband as
he continues to battle
a severe case of pneumonia.
Amy Askren shared on Tuesday that Ben is “having more periods of awareness,” although “he’s not able to look at his phone yet and respond to messages.”
She added that Ben Askren is officially on the lung transplant list, as of Monday night.
“Please pray he can get stronger and stay stable without complications while he waits, and that they find an amazing match for him and he accepts it smoothly,“
Amy posted on Facebook
. ”Also please pray for whoever that Donor may be, and his family. It’s going to be a huge adjustment for Ben, but our family is so thankful that his other organs are ok and that there is a path forward.”
Last week, Amy shared that Ben Askren was on a ventilator in the hospital as he battled a severe case of pneumonia. She first announced in early June that Ben developed “severe pneumonia” and was “unable to respond to anything.”
In the Facebook post last week, Amy also revealed that Ben was “currently starting the evaluation process for a lung transplant.”
He is now on the lung transplant list.
Amy is hopeful that within the next couple of weeks, Ben will be able to respond to messages on his phone. She also shared another positive development.
“Yesterday he kept mouthing something for a while and we finally figured out he was saying coffee! (He cant have it yet lol). What a huge relief to see him asking for something so normal,” she said. “I’m so thankful his mind is healthy and I can’t wait to have him back.
“We are also so thankful for the amazing community we have-from close friends, friends We haven’t talked to in 20+ years, to strangers who have reached out to share their similar stories or pray. Thank you.”
Ben Askren finished his MMA career with a 19-2 record, before retiring in 2019.
In addition to fighting in MMA, Askren won two NCAA championships as a wrestler at Missouri and was a part of the 2008 U.S. Olympics team. He is a member of the Missouri Hall of Fame and was a four-time All-American for the Tigers.
Ben’s sickness and the struggles that have come with it have been shocking to Amy and their family.
“Give your loved ones a hug today and make sure you’re prepared [for] situations like this,” she posted last week. “Ben is the healthiest guy I know and I never could have expected this.”
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Matt Connolly
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