Former Olympic wrestler and mixed martial artist Ben Askren has shared a detailed account of the chain of events that led to his near-fatal hospitalization and subsequent double lung transplant. Askren, who competed as a two-time national wrestling champion and represented the United States at the 2008 Beijing Olympics before embarking on a 19-fight MMA career, initially dismissed his symptoms as a routine back spasm.
In late May, Askren rolled with training partner Raphael Lovato Jr. and felt no immediate issues. During a pool gathering the following Saturday, he experienced intense pain in his lower back and treated it with ice, recalling:
“I thought it was a back spasm—I’ve had maybe five in my career.