Fighter Returns 11 Months After Double Lung Transplant

Former UFC fighter and Olympic wrestler Ben Askren will compete in a wrestling match on July 18, just 11 months after a double lung transplant saved his life.

Last June, Askren developed severe pneumonia that came on suddenly. Within days, the 41-year-old athlete was on a ventilator and life support, with doctors struggling to keep him alive.

His wife Amy said they needed a miracle. On June 24, Askren was placed on the transplant list and received donor lungs days later.

Askren doesn't remember anything from May 28 to July 2. He later told friends he "only died four times" while losing 50 pounds during his 59-day hospital stay.

The support from his community helped carry his family through the darkest days. Friends from across the country visited to help care for his kids while Amy stayed by his bedside.

When Askren was finally released on July 22, he thanked everyone who contributed to his family's GoFundMe and checked in on his wife and children. The outpouring of love, he said, meant everything.

Something else changed during his time in the hospital. After attending church with his wife for 15 years without calling himself a Christian, Askren woke up from his ordeal with a new faith.

"It was really weird when I woke up," Askren said. "I'm like 'I gotta do it.'"

Now he's preparing to face former UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad at Real American Freestyle 11 in Milwaukee. The match falls on his 42nd birthday, a celebration he didn't know he'd live to see.

Why This Inspires

Askren's comeback shows what the human body can achieve with cutting-edge medical care and sheer determination. His story also highlights the life-saving gift of organ donation and the strangers who make miracles possible for families in crisis.

He plans on living a while, and now he's got the second chance to prove it.