Raw Truths From The Brink Of Death - Ben Askren - #1116

Feels like I got my life back; my transplant date was late June, I came to in early July, and it’s been a grind, but I’m here and getting stronger.

A year ago you were in a bad spot; for people catching up, what happened over the last twelve months?

I thought I had a back spasm at a conference, my wife filmed me breathing hard in my sleep, she dragged me back to the hospital, and that’s the last thing I remember before waking up more than a month later to learn I’d had a double lung transplant.

I was flown from Vegas to Milwaukee, ended up on ECMO with low odds, got transplanted in late June, and my wife’s day‑by‑day journal is how I pieced the story together because I couldn’t talk at first.

Do you know what actually caused it?

A small staph infection on my elbow got into my blood and turned into necrotizing pneumonia that chewed up my lungs from the inside, the surgeon said it was one of the worst cases they’d seen, and I’ve never had the stomach to watch how a clamshell incision works.

Did you ever press the doctors on why it happened or how rare it is?

I chose to obsess over recovery, not the mystery, because even the team seemed puzzled, and once I woke up I had ICU delirium, wild dreams, then a long rebuild from not being able to feed myself to shuffling a few steps.

I lost a ton of muscle, went home with a chest tube that later got infected, and it took about two months before I could walk on my own, so I set tiny goals like eight minutes of walking, then ten, then twelve, and kept compounding.

What was the first real emotion when you came back around?

Total disbelief, then acceptance, then action, and I’ve spent countless hours researching options, using ChatGPT to map possibilities and checking everything with my doctors.

Our friends and family rallied for my wife and kids, we kept the message simple for the children, and that support let me focus on healing.

How much did your athlete’s mindset matter in recovery?

All of it, because on days I felt awful I still did something, I trained, I did breathing work, I never skipped, and that discipline came straight from years of wrestling and fighting.

Immunosuppressants make crowds and planes risky, so I mask up and avoid packed places, but my doses keep tapering as I stabilize, and my energy is coming back.

What matters more or less to you now?

I already felt aligned—coaching kids, loving my family—but this gave me more patience and gratitude, I became a Christian in a way that finally clicked, and I cut any investments or trips that weren’t worth time away from home.

I think of it as bonus time; the median stats for lung transplants aren’t great, but my goal is to beat the longest survivor by at least one year.

Are you changing how you work and travel with the academies?

I’ll still coach because that’s my favorite thing, I’ll just travel a bit less so I can be around for my kids, especially now that my daughter loves wrestling.

Has your definition of success shifted, and why wrestle again now?

I’m wrestling next month in my hometown on my birthday to support a pro wrestling project I helped build, and it’s also about showing people the same message I preached at my peak still holds when you’re clawing back from the edge.

You mentioned RFK and Sisyphus; what resonates for you there?

Courage is showing up daily even when the boulder keeps rolling back, because consistent effort with a good attitude usually moves your life forward, even if you don’t get every prize.

Why does wrestling build such mentally tough people?

It’s a life lab of hard work, humility, perseverance, and self‑reliance, because there’s nowhere to hide when it’s only you out there, and it forces you to grow.

Parents who pick wrestling usually want discipline and growth, while many who walk into MMA dream about TV and quick money, and my advice is do not chase MMA for fame because the economics are brutal for years.

How much of your success was talent?

I don’t buy talent as magic for complex skills; early environment and the desire to train matter more, like how sled teams breed for relentless drive, and with a broad toolkit you can win in different ways.

Look at the chess sisters raised from day one to excel, and you see how much deliberate upbringing can shape outcomes.

What went through your mind during that eighty‑plus match streak—pressure or flow?

I ignored the streak and just chased improvement, and when I surveyed past NCAA champs many said they never felt great, which taught me to keep a white‑belt mindset so you don’t stall.

People love a rise and mock a fall; how do you see that?

I block out the noise, and if you still love competing, do it, even if you’re not what you were at twenty‑eight, because time beats everyone but you can still be elite.

Many remember you for a five‑second KO; what did that teach you about reputation?

I never chased image, I chased the toughest fights to see if I could be the best, I took risks knowing I could lose, and I’m proud I tried.

It feels like the world keeps trying to define you by one moment and you keep refusing the label.

Legacy belongs to other people, I just take every real opportunity and live fully, because the point of life isn’t to arrive safely at death, and worrying is like a rocking chair that moves but goes nowhere.

I want to set the longevity record for a double lung transplant, I’d even consider future stem‑cell lungs if it meant fewer drugs, and I’ve told my doctor I’ll run any smart protocol if it helps me live longer.

You’re a force, man; good luck with the match, and where can people follow along?

I post a little on Instagram and X under my name, and we have a documentary coming this fall about the transplant and the comeback that I hope pushes people to live boldly.

Unreal; let’s talk when the documentary drops, and I’m rooting for whatever you do next.