Former UFC fighter Ben Askren has shared an update from his hospital bed after he was hospitalised with severe pneumonia.
He had been admitted to hospital in Wisconsin last month and placed on a ventilator before being given a double lung transplant.
His wife Amy said that Askren had been 'completely healthy' until recently before having to spend much of June on a ventilator.
After her husband's successful surgery she said: "We are so thankful to share that Ben has received a double lung transplant.
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"This is the beginning of a new lifestyle for Ben, but every new day he has is a gift. I’m hopeful that in coming weeks Ben will be able to give the next update, but hopefully he will wait until the drugs wear off."
That next update has come from the man himself, who posted a video to Instagram of him in a hospital bed saying he didn't 'remember anything from May 28th to July 2' and had to read his wife's journal to keep up with what had happened.
"No recollection, zero idea, no idea what happened," the former UFC fighter said in his update where he told people he 'died four times' during his ordeal.
"I just read through my wife's journal, it's like a movie, so I only died four times where the ticker stopped for about 20 seconds, that's not ideal."
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"But I got the double lung transplant, I made it to the other side of it, gaining quite a bit of strength, learning to use everything again.
"I was actually on the scale yesterday, 147lbs. I haven't been 147lbs since 15 years old."
He said he'd lost about 50lbs as he coughed and struggled to speak, calling everything he'd been through 'a battle'.
Askren said: "The thing that was most impactful to me was all the love I felt from everybody and it's almost like I got to have my own funeral."
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The former UFC fighter, 40, who fought Jake Paul back in 2021, said 'the outpouring of love from the community was amazing' and said it had made him 'more motivated than ever to give back and do what I can'.
"I love you guys, I appreciate you guys, this has been tough on me and my whole family, my close community, so I appreciate everything."
There really has been an outpouring of love towards Ben Askren as he shared plenty of messages and well wishes he'd received from people who said they were hoping for his speedy recovery.
His update is full of people saying they are so glad he's recovering, and someone else to wish him well was former opponent Jake Paul who said: "Shout out to Ben Askren. Just proved that he’s one of the toughest fighters of all time."
Joe Harker