According to his wife, Ben Askren has undergone a double lung transplant.
Askren has been hospitalized for several weeks with severe pneumonia. About a week ago, Askren’s wife Amy shared an update that Askren is “officially on the transplant list” for her lungs.
On Monday morning, Amy Askren provided another update on her Facebook page, telling the world that the former UFC, Bellator and one fighter had successfully performed the surgery.
“I’m so grateful to be able to share that Ben had undergone a double lung transplant,” writes Askren. “We are forever grateful to the donor and his family. This is the beginning of Ben’s new lifestyle, but every new day he has is a gift. It’s still not realistic that he had walked perfectly healthy just five weeks ago.
“We hope that in the coming weeks, Ben will be able to provide the next update, but hopefully he will wait until the drugs go away.”
Askren was hospitalized after being diagnosed with a severe case of pneumonia that required him to be placed on a ventilator. Askren was also placed on an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machine for the lungs. The MMA community has sent prayers to Askren through each update provided, and it appears to be rewarding in a great way.
Even Askren’s past opponents decided on Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in Anaheim, even Askren’s Jake Paul planned to help with the surgery in some way.