Suni Lee’s accomplishments go beyond the gymnastic realm. Having been hit by a non-curable kidney issue at the beginning of 2023 caught her off guard. Not only that, wrapping her head around it and adjusting to the realities wasn’t smooth after all. Now, appearing at the Winter Cup 2024, she’s making headlines for being the spirited gymnast she is.

There was a time when the gymnast who captured hearts with her skills and smiles alike struggled to wake up in the mornings. Moving past that was a journey in itself, which helped her focus more on smaller goals than the marquee Olympics. Now when she’s on a voyage of ‘remission’, how was it for Suni Lee when the kidney difficulty peaked?

Suni Lee ‘prepared’ to reignite the flame

Going candid with the Olympics.com, the 20-year-old shed light on how a hiatus has made her what she is today. “I feel really prepared on beam. Bars… I’m feeling pretty good. We’re kind of just going to get the skill named and then doing a basic bars set”. For context, Suni was referring to her full twisting layout Jaeger catch-and-release move on the uneven bars. Her words reflect the utmost strength, but taking a look at the five-month-long hiatus that kept her off training, our respect manifolded. She said, “I had kind of a rough patch, and I was in and out of the gym for about five months”. But going about it, she became more mindful with each passing day.

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“It was more just mental, but also trying to figure out my health and just be as healthy as possible coming into the new year because I knew I wanted to not have to worry about it as much, or, like, just make sure that I was going into remission and not going to have a little break out before a big meet.” Though the destination is crystal clear now, the travel is blurry.

Depression hits Lee at her Achilles heals

“During that time, I was honestly not doing a lot of anything good for me, I was just kind of rotting in my bed and hoping that it would all go away,” Lee added. For gymnasts or anybody who’s related to sports or any art form, giving their all is a way to vent emotions. Lee’s case wasn’t an exception. Coach Jess Graba said that most of her days went by “being depressed”. 

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Now when she feels a lot better, she can’t still skip doctor visits every week. Competing on a national level again wasn’t an easy decision for her. However, her words “I’ve been able to wake up every single day and I’m perfectly fine”, show that waking up with swollen feet and hands feels nightmarish now.

Watch this story: From Olympic Gymnast to Feeding Baby: The Life of a Coveted Gymnastics Champion as Mother