Ben Askren emotional after being released from hospital following double lung transplant surgery

Ben Askren | @Benaskren, Twitter

Ben Askren is on his way home.

The retired UFC fighter revealed Tuesday he’s been released from the hospital following double lung transplant surgery after he was recently diagnosed with a case of severe pneumonia that effectively left him comatose while doctors tried to save his life. The harrowing ordeal led to Askren requiring a double lung transplant; less than a month after the surgery, he’s finally going home again.

“Day 59, I’m out!” Askren said in his latest update posted on social media. “With my beautiful wife supportive. That was a long journey and it’s not over because I still can’t really walk. I have to re-teach myself to do that among many other things. I guess I can make light of it because it was me and I don’t really remember it.”

Askren then turned to ask his wife Amy how many times he nearly died during his entire hospitalization.

“Too close,” Amy answered back. “A few times [you nearly died].”

Thankfully, doctors were able to secure donor lungs and Askren underwent surgery, which gave him the best possible chance at survival. He was then required to remain in the hospital for several weeks as doctors monitored him to ensure the transplant lungs did the job and there was no further infection or potential rejection.

Now that he’s going home, Askren was nearly brought to tears after he received overwhelming support from friends, family and fans from around the globe.

“I’ve said this already in one of the videos but the support you guys gave me, whether it was setting up a GoFundMe, whether it was helping my kids and wife get through it, I had friends come from all over the country just to hang out for a couple of days. It meant so much,” Askren said. “It was so great to have all the support and all the love.

“Hopefully I’m not in this situation again for a really, really, really long time. I plan on living a while. So thank you guys again.”