Current:Home > MyHow Suni Lee Refused to Let "Really Scary" Kidney Illness Stop Her From Returning For the 2024 Olympics -DollarDynamic
How Suni Lee Refused to Let "Really Scary" Kidney Illness Stop Her From Returning For the 2024 Olympics
View
Date:2025-04-18 23:14:55
Sunisa "Suni" Lee may be the reigning all-around women's gymnastics champion, but for a while she wasn't sure if she was going to be able to return to defend her title at the 2024 Paris Olympics this summer.
The 20-year-old, who enrolled at Auburn University after winning gold at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, made the tough decision to step off the mat and end her college career in April due to a "non-gymnastics health related issue" that she later shared was an incurable kidney disease.
And though she declined the invitation to attend the U.S. team selection camp for the world championships in September, she is still hoping to recover in time to compete in Paris, an impressive feat considering her health issues almost ended her career permanently.
"It was really scary and really, really heartbreaking," Lee told E! News in an exclusive interview. "I definitely went through a little bit of a mental spiral because gymnastics is my outlet and it's my safe space."
Especially difficult for Lee was not being able to turn to her usual outlet for coping with adversity while battling her kidney illness, which caused her to gain 40 pounds.
"I really didn't know what to do with myself because I couldn't practice at all," she shared. "I really just had to sit in my bed and be sad because I couldn't do anything. I could barely move. I couldn't fit into my clothes and it was just so scary."
Unable to take out her frustations on the bar or beam, Lee said "a lot of therapy" helped her cope with her condition, "because when it was happening," she explained, "I had to see my life without gymnastics and that was a scary thing."
However, Lee wasn't ready to give up on her dream and was able to compete in August when she qualified for the U.S. Championships, earning a bronze on the beam. Though she later declined to compete at the world championships, Lee called her return at the U.S. Classic "one of the most special things that I will forever cherish" because she and her doctors weren't even sure it would be possible.
"When I went there, I didn't care about winning a medal or placing on anything," she continued. "I really just wanted to go there and prove to myself that I was able to do it, because I kept telling myself, 'I'm never going to be able to do it again.'"
But she did.
"I learned that nothing's going to stop me," Lee said of her return. "If I want something, I'm going to put my head into it and I'm going to get it. I kept telling myself that I wasn't going to be able to do it and I just wanted to prove to myself that I could do it again, because I did lose so much faith in myself."
Now, faith fully restored in her resiliency, Lee is hoping to return for the Paris games, which begin in July 2024. And while a medal "would mean so much" after everything Lee has endured, it's not her ultimate goal.
"I'm at the point where I'm like, 'I just want to make it there,'" Lee shared. "If I can make it there with everything going on, that's going to be as special as winning a gold medal."
Check out E! News' 2022 Beijing Olympics homepage for news, photos and more.veryGood! (14)
Related
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- Iditarod says new burled arch will be in place for ’25 race after current finish line arch collapses
- Marjorie Taylor Greene threatens vote on ousting Mike Johnson after Democrats say they'll block it
- Tony Awards 2024: Alicia Keys' 'Hell's Kitchen,' 'Stereophonic' lead with 13 nominations
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- Louisiana rapist sentenced to physical castration, 50 years in prison for assaulting teen
- Dear E!, How Do I Mature My Style? Here Are the Best Ways To Transform Your Closet & New Adult-Like Fits
- 2024 NFL draft steals: Steelers have two picks among top 10 in best value
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- Untangling Kendrick Lamar’s Haley Joel Osment Mix-Up on His Drake Diss Track
Ranking
- Kylie Jenner Shows Off Sweet Notes From Nieces Dream Kardashian & Chicago West
- US drug control agency will move to reclassify marijuana in a historic shift, AP sources say
- Lincoln’s Civil War order to block Confederate ports donated to Illinois by governor and first lady
- John Mulaney on his love for Olivia Munn, and how a doctor convinced him to stay in rehab
- Scoot flight from Singapore to Wuhan turns back after 'technical issue' detected
- Lottery bids for skilled-worker visas plunge in the US after changes aimed at fraud and abuse
- 'American Idol': Watch Emmy Russell bring Katy Perry to tears with touching Loretta Lynn cover
- Hawaii's 2021 Red Hill jet fuel leak sickened thousands — but it wasn't the first: The system has failed us
Recommendation
Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
Iditarod says new burled arch will be in place for ’25 race after current finish line arch collapses
Trump held in contempt for violating gag order in hush money trial. Here's how much he owes.
Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel's Son Has Inherited His Iconic *NSYNC Curls in New Pic
Global Warming Set the Stage for Los Angeles Fires
How to change your AirTag battery: Replace easily with just a few steps
Free Krispy Kreme: Get a free dozen doughnuts through chain's new rewards program
Amazon reports strong 1Q results driven by its cloud-computing unit and Prime Video ad dollars