Ex-Olympian Ben Askren ‘died four times’ before double lung transplant

Ben Askren has been through a lot during the past six weeks.

The former Olympic wrestler and MMA fighter underwent a double lung transplant after suffering a severe case of pneumonia, according to numerous updates posted on Facebook by his wife, Amy, starting June 7.

On Wednesday, Askren provided his own update in an Instagram video shot from a hospital bed. In it, he shared positive news about his recovery, along with the rather shocking revelation that he “died four times” during the ordeal.

“I actually just read through my wife’s journal because I don’t remember anything from May 28 to July 2,” said Askren, who coughed somewhat frequently throughout the video. “No recollection, zero idea, no idea what happened. … It’s like a movie. It’s ridiculous.

“So I only died four times, where the ticker stopped for about 20 seconds. That’s not ideal, you guys know that. But I got the double lung transplant. I made it out to the other side of it — gaining quite a bit of strength, learning to use everything again.”

Askren, 40, was a two-time NCAA Division I champion and two-time runner-up for Missouri and competed for the U.S. at the 2008 Beijing Games, making it to the quarterfinal round.

He went on to have a successful career as an MMA fighter, winning title belts in Bellator and ONE Championship and competing in UFC, before retiring in 2019. Askren now runs a youth wrestling academy in Wisconsin.

As an athlete, Askren typically competed at around 170 pounds. This week, Askren said, he weighed in at 147 pounds.

“I haven’t been 147 pounds since 15 years old, so I lost like 50 pounds in a 45-day period,” Askren said. “So, man, that was a battle.”

He added that “the thing that was most impactful to me was all the love I felt from everybody.”

“The outpouring of love from the wrestling community, it was just so amazing,” Askren said. “Felt so good. And so, you know, I’m more motivated than ever to keep giving, get back and do what I can and help out the best I can help out. I love you guys. I appreciate you guys. It’s been tough, not only on me, but my whole family and my close community. So I appreciate everything.”