Former Olympic wrestler and mixed martial arts veteran Ben Askren recently opened up about a harrowing health crisis that nearly claimed his life earlier this year. He revealed how his wife Amy’s quick thinking and persistent advocacy saved him from what could have been a fatal outcome.
The three-time NCAA champion and two-time Hodge Trophy winner shared his story in an emotional video posted by Real American Freestyle, detailing a medical emergency that began as what seemed like routine soreness after a wrestling weekend in May.
“I had wrestled Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. I came home, I felt totally fine,” Askren recounted. “Then a couple hours later, my back started hurting really bad and I’m like, damn. And then that night I was awake like every 45 minutes and I don’t want to get emotional, but if it wasn’t for my wife, I probably would have died.”
What started as back pain quickly escalated into something far more serious. Amy noticed alarming changes in her husband’s breathing patterns while he slept, prompting her to document his condition. “She videotapes me sleeping and I’m like, I look like s**t. I’m breathing super hard and fast,” Askren explained.
Despite his wife’s growing concern, the former Bellator and ONE Championship titleholder initially resisted seeking medical attention. “So she wakes me up, she’s like, you got to go the hospital. I’m like, I’m not going to the hospital. You know, we argue for 30 minutes. My wife convinces me to go to the hospital.”
That argument may have been the difference between life and death. Askren’s last clear memory was stepping out of an Uber at the hospital entrance. “I remember getting from the Uber in the building and that’s it. I remember nothing.”
What followed was a medical nightmare that would keep Askren hospitalized for 70 days. “I got this thing called necrotizing pneumonia. The doctors still can’t figure out how the hell it happened, but they start eating my lungs. So I was in a coma and life support for like 40 days, and then they gave me a lung transplant. I lost like 50 some pounds.”
The severity of his condition became apparent through the medical details he later learned. “There was multiple times where my heart stopped for more than 20 seconds. There was one time where the nurse told my wife that Amy, the kid, was going to come to the hospital. And she got there, and the nurse was really sad. She’s like, Ben’s dead. Ben’s dead.”
Throughout the ordeal, Amy remained a constant presence, visiting almost daily while managing their children at home. When Askren finally regained consciousness, he was disoriented and unaware of what had happened. “I woke up, and I didn’t know why I was there. Eventually, a nurse came in and told me, oh, you had a double lung transplant.”
It was Amy who helped piece together the lost months for her husband. “When my wife came in the next morning, she had like written what had happened day by day. You know, my wife was amazing. She visited, I mean, almost every day for 70 days, right? And it’s like, she’s got to take care of her kids, too. And I get emotional still when it’s like, there’s a decent chance I could have died.”
The wrestling legend’s recovery has been a gradual process, with simple tasks becoming monumental challenges. “The first time I was home, even with my walker, I couldn’t walk from the bedroom to the living room. I had to have help,” he shared. “This five-pound weight, this is actually hard for me to curl.”
Despite the physical limitations his condition has imposed, Askren has found new purpose in documenting his recovery journey and inspiring others facing similar health challenges. His authentic updates resonated with millions, garnering more attention than many of his athletic achievements.
“I’ve had so many messages since I started the videos where it’s like, I was sick or I was overweight or I could get my a*s in gear. Like, your messages really inspired me,” Askren noted, reflecting on the unexpected impact of sharing his vulnerability.
While his competitive wrestling days may be behind him due to medical restrictions following his lung transplant, Askren has redirected his energy toward supporting wrestling through administrative roles with Real American Freestyle. “I probably won’t be actively competitive in anything ever again from a physicality standpoint. But, you know, I’ll be able to live a really good life.”
Amy’s response to her husband’s account was profound. Resharing the video to her Instagram story, she simply wrote, “So thankful he’s still here.”
The former champion’s experience has given him a renewed perspective on what truly matters. “The thing that was most impactful to me was all the love I felt from everybody,” he reflected, acknowledging the overwhelming support he received from the wrestling and MMA communities during his recovery.
