Mark Coleman re-admitted to hospital with pneumonia, still ‘same spunky, spitfire self’
UFC Hall of Famer Mark Coleman isn’t quite out of the woods after his recent health scare, but he is still in good spirits.
Coleman was re-admitted to a Toledo, Ohio, hospital on Friday only to be re-admitted after reporting numbness in his arms and chest pain, his daughter Kenzie posted Saturday on his Instagram account.
Coleman was subsequently diagnosed with pneumonia and remains in a hospital bed three days after narrowly escaping a house fire in which he saved his parents.
“Despite all of this he is still his same positive, spunky, spitfire self just as you can imagine from the video above,” Kenzie captioned next to a video of the bedridden Coleman. “He wants to again thank you all for the support and love you have shown him and us during this extremely difficult time.”
Coleman suffered severe smoke inhalation and was airlifted to the hospital after the fire broke out at his parents’ house. Friends of the former UFC heavyweight champ feared for the worst, but one day after being hospitalized, he began breathing on his own and appeared to be on the mend. Cameras captured a touching scene between Mark and his daughters who visited in the hospital.
“Feeling a little rough today, but we’ll be alright, because I’m still sober,” Coleman said in a video attached to Kenzie’s most recent post. “Love you guys. I’ve got to get training, they won’t let me out of bed.”
Coleman’s family started a GoFundMe on his behalf to help pay for medical costs.
“He is getting rest and i promise to take the best care of him,” Kenzie wrote on Saturday. “He is the true definition of a fighter and defines strength like no other. Sometimes i even think he’s a super human.
“He loves you all so much. He always says without his supporters he’s nothing. It feels good to be home with my daddy. Please continue to pray for his healing and health during this recovery process.”
In recent years, Coleman battled back to health after struggling with alcoholism. He started to train again, serving as a coach and mentor to UFC welterweight Matt Brown, and was rumored to be in the running for a slap fight with ex-UFC champ Tim Sylvia.