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Suni Lee’s Kidney Disease: Inside Olympic Gymnast’s Battle With the ‘Incurable’ Condition
Despite being diagnosed with two forms of incurable kidney disease in 2023, Sunisa “Suni” Lee is back representing the United States in gymnastics at the 2024 Olympics. Everything we know about the professional athlete’s health issues.
What Is Suni Lee’s Kidney Disease?
Suni has not specified the exact type of kidney disease she has because “details of the condition fluctuate,” according to Sports Illustrated. However, the outlet confirmed that doctors have diagnosed her with two different forms of incurable kidney disease.
Suni told SELF magazine that her condition is “rare” and that her medical team predicts that it could change as they get a better grasp on what’s happening inside her body.
What Happened to Suni Lee?
The Dancing With the Stars alum received her diagnosis after waking up to find that nearly her entire body was swollen in February 2023.
“I just kept getting more swollen … and I think I gained, like, 40 pounds,” she told SELF. “I kept peeling off the bar. I couldn’t hold on. My fingers were so swollen.”
At first, Suni’s medical team thought she was experiencing an allergic reaction, but the swelling didn’t subside and she also began experiencing hot flashes, cold spells, headaches, and cramping. “I was just rotting in my bed. I couldn’t talk to anybody. I didn’t leave the house,” she recalled in a June 2023 interview with Sports Illustrated.
It wasn’t until Team USA Gymnastics physician Marcia Faustin suggested a urine test that the first red flag for kidney disease was raised: Suni admitted that she’d been having trouble urinating for two weeks. More tests followed, as well as a meeting with a specialist who recommended a biopsy of Suni’s kidney tissue. She is now on regular medication to help manage her symptoms.
Why Did Suni Lee Leave College Gymnastics?
Amid all of this, Suni was a member of the gymnastics team at Auburn University. However, she decided to leave the program in April 2023 as she dealt with her health issues. She was a sophomore at the time.
“I have been dealing with a non-gymnastics health-related issue involving my kidneys,” she explained. “For my safety, the medical team did not clear me to train and compete over the last few weeks. I am blessed and thankful to be working with the best specialized medical team to treat and manage my diagnosis. My focus at this time is my health and recovery.”
Suni Lee’s Return to Gymnastics
Despite the setback, Suni still had her eye on the 2024 Olympics. She returned to competing in August 2023.
“This comeback was so much more than my return to elite gymnastics,” she shared afterward. “It was me proving to myself that I can overcome hard things, and to hopefully inspire others to never let life’s setbacks stop you from going after your dreams.”
By January 2024, her doctors confirmed that she would be able to train for the Olympics.
How Is Suni Lee’s Health Today?
Suni is now in remission. “Healthwise, I’m doing really good right now,” she said in April 2024. “We know what to do and the right medication to take.” She also added, “I’m getting a lot stronger. I’ve been able to train a lot more, and I am just so happy, because I really didn’t think I would be here. To be here is quite incredible.”
She also told Elle in July 2024, “My mental health is the number one priority. I’m just thinking of it as … it’s for me. I’m competing for myself. I’m proving it to myself.”
Just days before she left for the Paris Olympics, Suni revealed to Today, “There were so many times when I thought about quitting and just giving up because I was so sick. But once I had those people around me who lifted me up and supported me and just made sure that I was good, I knew that this is something I wanted.”
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