’84 Olympic ski champion fights illness
Former Olympic downhill champion Bill Johnson no longer wants to go through treatment after dealing with a life-threatening infection that has attacked his major organs.
Hospitalized since June 29, the one-time daredevil skier refuses a feeding tube, even though it hurts to swallow, his mother said in a phone interview Wednesday.
He no longer wants supplemental oxygen or even antibiotics that could possibly help him.
His mother says his wish is simply to leave the hospital and return to his room at an assisted living facility in Gresham, Ore., where the 53-year-old was living before the illness.
That way, he can fight the infection on his terms and in his own way.
Johnson was the first American to capture the downhill crown at the 1984 Sarajevo Olympics.
In 2001, he made a comeback at the U.S. championships at age 40, hoping to earn a spot on the squad for the 2002 Salt Lake City Games.
But he wiped out during a practice run, suffering a traumatic brain injury that erased nearly a decade of memories. It also forced him to relearn how to walk, talk and eat.
He made steady improvement. Then, in June 2010, Johnson had a stroke and little by little lost the use of his body.