"One day at a time brother!" - MMA community reacts as Ben Askren shares health update on his birthday

The MMA community recently reacted to Ben Askren sharing another health update on his birthday. While the former UFC star had hoped to celebrate turning 41 at home with his family, he was forced to stay back in the hospital due to one unsuccessful medical procedure and another that delayed his discharge.

Askren was forced to undergo a double lung transplant after a life-threatening battle with acute pneumonia reportedly caused by a staph infection. The former UFC star has been in the hospital for over 50 days.

On his 41st birthday, he shared an update on his health via Instagram. He also gave his followers a pep talk while referring to the 'Stockdale Paradox' as mentioned in Jim Collins' book 'Good to Great' and said:

"Yo guys, update number three. It’s going pretty well. Getting a lot better... But I did have a few setbacks. I was really hoping, I was really hoping I’d be home today, which is my birthday... And, you know, I was really disappointed this morning, but then I remembered 'Stockdale Paradox' from the book 'Good to Great'... I’m disappointed I didn’t get out today. But maybe it was best. And I am making lot of progress. I’m getting better."

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Fans and fellow MMA entities soon flocked to the post's comments section to wish him for his birthday and share their reactions.

One fan wrote:

"One day at a time, brother! We're with you."

Another wrote:

"You even sound so much better. Sounds like your voice. Keep getting better, champ!"

Check out some more reactions below:

Screenshots from @benaskren on Instagram

Ben Askren shares powerful message as he continues on recovery journey

Ben Askren recently shared another update on his recovery process and gave some powerful words of wisdom for his followers. Askren opened up about his taxing journey over the past few weeks and boldly claimed that he won't be "feeling sorry" for himself, regardless.

In an Instagram video, the former UFC fighter said:

"Everything is going pretty well... I wanted to make a reflection with where I was less than a month ago... I feel like holy cr*p, I came a long way since then. I'm going to plead guilty, I felt guilty for myself one time. That doesn't do anybody any good."

He continued:

"Then I realized, it happened. It's over. It’s done with. I can be bitter and angry. I could whine, cry. That’s not going to help anybody. I am where I am now, and I’m going to move forward the best that I can. So I hope you guys are enjoying the updates. I will not feel sorry for myself. I'm going to get out of here pretty soon, and I hope you guys have a great day."

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Nishant brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his MMA reporting for Sportskeeda. During his 1.5 years with the organization and previous work, Nishant has established himself as a prolific writer in the MMA community. With a Bachelor's degree in Media and Journalism and a Master's degree in International Relations, Nishant's educational background enhances his analytical and reporting skills.

Nishant admires UFC legend Georges St-Pierre for his dominance and exemplary conduct inside and outside the cage. The monumental UFC 229 event, headlined by a grudge match between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor, captivated Nishant and solidified his passion for MMA.

Nishant focuses on delivering high-quality content by giving attention to detail, and rigorous fact-checking via multiple layers. His dedication is evident in his achievement of publishing over 1.7K articles and accumulating 4.4 million reads in less than two years.

Nishant feels that it is only a matter of time that MMA takes over Boxing as the no.1 combat sport. Beyond MMA, his interests include philosophy, music exploration, and wildlife photography.

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Edited by Nishant Zende.