Ben Askren has a lot to be thankful for.
The former world champion mixed martial artist and US Olympic wrestler received a double lung transplant several weeks ago after he developed necrotising pneumonia following hospitalisation for a staph infection — something that he had initially thought to be a back injury.
Throughout the ordeal, during which Askren was close to death on several occasions and through which he lost more than 50-pounds, the combat sports community rallied — particularly after it was revealed that Askren’s health insurance would not financially cover the costs of his lung transplants.
“I actually rolled with Raphael Lovato on Friday,” Askren said of the onset of the incident. “I actually wrestled the next day and then I came home and played disc golf and at no point did I feel anything. And then like Saturday afternoon we went to a friend’s pool get together and my back started hurting.
“I had this little spot of staph on my elbow and you know… you don’t need… or you know at least to my experience prior to this, you you don’t need antibiotics for every staph right,” he added. “So you know I showered real well I cleaned it I used some… you know antibacterial and that type of stuff and it went away. It was like on my elbow and then you know a few days later, it clears up. It looks all healed, but they say it somehow got into my bloodstream.”
It was while attending a cryptocurrency convention in Las Vegas when Askren’s condition worsened.
“On Wednesday, my wife forced me to the hospital,” Askren said. “There was multiple times when it was almost over. I know one time my friends, I had two friends that were in there and like literally my heart stopped for like 20 seconds, right? And they had and I guess it happened like multiple times in a couple hours.
“Eventually they realised the only way I was going to stay alive was if I uh got a lung transplant. So when I woke up I had two new lungs.”
Askren also noted the kindness of both Jake Paul and Dana White, both of whom people he has had a checkered past with, for donating towards his medical expenses.
“Jake Paul and Dana White both donated and were very generous,” Askren said. “I don’t expect anything out of him, if they don’t want to, they don’t want to, it’s their money, they should be able to do what they want with it. And I’m grateful that they felt generous enough but then also we don’t want to talk about it too much because there was more than a thousand people that made some donations.
“Ten thousand dollar for someone whose got many millions, versus 25 dollars for someone that doesn’t have anything, that’s just as big of a burden on that person. We had so many people that were really really generous. Those guys were both generous, it’s almost funny when it comes from, I don’t know if you call them enemies, just people you haven’t seen eye to eye with. But that brings out the good side in humanity I think.”
