A compelling new documentary chronicling Ben Askren‘s extraordinary battle for survival is moving forward with an acclaimed director at the helm. Rory Karpf has been tapped to direct the project. He’s known for his work on the ESPN 30 for 30 film “I Hate Christian Laettner.” The documentary will explore the former Olympic wrestler and mixed martial arts champion’s life-threatening medical emergency.
The film is titled “Fight for Life: The Story of Ben Askren.” It’s being produced by Novo Inspire Studios. The production company is co-founded by “Wizards Beyond Waverly Place” alum David Henrie in partnership with Best Production Company. The documentary promises to offer an intimate look at Askren‘s harrowing health crisis. It will feature unprecedented access and never-before-seen footage captured by his wife, Amy Askren. Deadline was the first to report.
Earlier this year, the three-time NCAA champion and two-time Hodge Trophy winner faced a medical nightmare. It nearly cost him his life. What began as routine soreness following a wrestling weekend in May quickly spiraled into a life-or-death situation.
“I had wrestled Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. I came home, I felt totally fine,”
Askren recounted in a recent video posted by Real American Freestyle.
“Then a couple hours later, my back started hurting really bad ”
“And then that night I was awake like every 45 minutes and I don’t want to get emotional, but if it wasn’t for my wife, I probably would have passed.”
Amy Askren‘s vigilance proved crucial. She noticed alarming changes in her husband’s breathing patterns during the night.
“She videotapes me sleeping and I’m like, I look like [ ]. I’m breathing super hard and fast,”
Askren explained. Despite her growing concern he resisted going to the emergency room.
“So she wakes me up, she’s like, you got to go the hospital. I’m like, I’m not going to the hospital. You know, we argue for 30 minutes. My wife convinces me to go to the hospital,”
he recalled. That half-hour disagreement may have saved his life.
Askren‘s last clear memory was arriving at the hospital.
“I remember getting from the Uber in the building and that’s it. I remember nothing.”
The diagnosis was necrotizing pneumonia. It’s a devastating condition that began destroying his lung tissue.
“The doctors still can’t figure out how ( ) it happened, but they start eating my lungs. So I was in a coma and life support for like 40 days, and then they gave me a lung transplant. I lost like 50 some pounds,”
Askren revealed.
The severity of his condition became frighteningly apparent when his heart stopped multiple times.
“There was multiple times where my heart stopped for more than 20 seconds.”
Throughout the 70-day hospital ordeal, Amy remained a steadfast presence. She visited nearly every day while simultaneously caring for their children at home. When Askren finally regained consciousness, he was completely disoriented.
“I woke up, and I didn’t know why I was there. Eventually, a nurse came in and told me, oh, you had a double lung transplant.”
Amy helped reconstruct the lost months for her husband.
Adding to the trauma was the financial burden of the medical emergency. The situation garnered attention from media personalities including Joe Rogan and Theo Von. They discussed Askren‘s case on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast. Despite having insurance, Askren faced coverage denials for his life-saving double lung transplant. He eventually required community support to help with treatment costs.
“He had a double lung transplant. He had lung and the insurance didn’t cover it. How could you not cover that?”
Rogan questioned during the podcast.
“Guy gets sick. It turns out he’s a very rare like I think it was like a staph infection or some kind of bacterial infection that was eating his lungs.”
Von emphasized the additional stress placed on families navigating such crises.
Recovery has been a gradual journey. Basic movements became significant challenges.
“The first time I was home, even with my walker, I couldn’t walk from the bedroom to the living room. I had to have help,”
Askren shared.
Despite these limitations, Askren has found new purpose. He’s been documenting his recovery and inspiring others facing similar health battles.
