How UFC Star Ben Askren Cheated Death
In a Nutshell
Ben Askren survived a near-fatal staph infection that caused necrotizing pneumonia, leading to 37 days in a coma and a double lung transplant with only a 40% survival rate off ECMO. His athletic discipline enabled a grueling recovery from 138 pounds and near-total muscle loss, and he now maintains strict daily training, breathing work, and medication adherence despite lifelong immunosuppression. He rejects legacy concerns, focuses on consistent improvement, and aims to become the longest-surviving double lung transplant recipient at 39 years.
These notes were generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies.
Ben Askren states he received his lung transplant on June 28th of the previous year. He regained full cognitive awareness around July 2nd. He notes that June 6th of the current year marked his induction into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, exactly one year after being airlifted from Las Vegas while critically ill.
On June 6th of the previous year, Askren was in Las Vegas when his condition deteriorated rapidly. After visits to two local hospitals, friends who were a doctor and a nurse determined he would not survive transport to a third facility. They arranged an airlift back to Milwaukee specifically for its strong CVICU (cardiovascular intensive care unit). During transport his body had to be fully paralyzed. Upon arrival he was placed on ECMO, a procedure with only a 40% survival rate off the machine. He has no personal memory of these events.
Askren's symptoms began on May 27th with severe back pain initially diagnosed as a back spasm. Vitals and tests the previous day had been normal. Pain medication failed to help. His wife recorded him sleeping and sent the footage to physician friends, who immediately urged hospitalization. While asleep he exhibited extremely rapid and labored breathing.
Askren reluctantly returned to the same Las Vegas hospital. He remembers walking into the waiting room and nothing after that point. He remained unconscious for approximately 37 days, waking on July 2nd in a different hospital in Milwaukee. Upon waking he could not speak and learned he had undergone a double lung transplant. His wife had maintained a detailed day-by-day journal that he later read to understand the sequence of events.
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