Gymnast Suni Lee Overcame Kidney Disease That Caused Her to Gain 40 Pounds

Getty Suni Lee in Paris.

Gymnast Suni Lee overcame a serious kidney disease diagnosis, which she revealed in a post on X, to compete in the Paris Olympics.

Doctors initially suspected an allergic reaction when Lee first experienced swollen ankles in February 2023, according to Self. However, Lee told Self, “I just kept getting more swollen . . . and I think I gained, like, 40 pounds,” Lee says. “It affected my whole body and how I looked and how I was feeling.”

“What if I’m never allowed to do gymnastics again or I can never make it to the Olympics again?” she told Self she wondered.

By August 2023, though, Lee wrote on Instagram, “Feeling blessed & so so grateful. This comeback was so much more than my return to elite gymnastics. 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. see y’all in San Jose🌟”

At one point, according to The New York Times, her “leg joints were so swollen that she could hardly bend her knees or ankles.” The Times reported that the kidney problems were genetic, saying her mom Yeev Thoj’s brother “died of kidney failure at 45,” and her grandmother died of the same thing “a little bit over 60.”

However, the Times reported that Lee’s kidney diseases “are now in remission.”

In April 2023, Lee announced the kidney issues in a post on her X page, when she revealed she was stepping back from college gymnastics.

“I am so proud of my team and the way they showed determination and resilience this season. Auburn, thank you for the best 2 years of my life and for giving me the opportunity to make history alongside this amazing group,” she wrote. “I am forever grateful for this community.”

“I have been dealing with a non-gymnastics health-related issue involving my kidneys,” she revealed. ”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.”

According to the Montgomery Advertiser, Lee was diagnosed “with two forms of kidney disease.”

Self reported that Lee wanted to keep the exact diagnosis private because “her medical team believes it may change as they continue to understand what’s going on inside her body.” Her condition is not “common, and there is no cure yet,” and it’s usually treated with medication to manage symptoms, Self reported.

Suni Lee Wrote That Her Kidney Disease Diagnosis Had ‘Sharpened My Vision for the Future’

GettySunisa Lee of Team United States practices on the balance beam during a Gymnastics training session in the Bercy Arena ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 25, 2024.

In Paris, Lee has excelled, according to USA Gymnastics, earning a spot competing against Simone Biles. Biles and Lee “are set to become the first two Olympic all-around champions to face one another in women’s artistic gymnastics final competition,” the USA Gymnastics press release says.

In her 2023 X post, Lee discussed her fortitude.

“It’s been challenging to end my Auburn career early, but I am thankful for all of the love and support,” she wrote. “I will not stop pursuing my dreams for a bid to Paris in 2024. In fact, this experience has sharpened my vision for the future. I appreciate all the love and support, and I want to especially thank my doctors, coaches, and the Auburn medical staff for their care during this time. War eagle forever.”

Lee also spoke to the Today Show’s Hoda Kotb about the difficulties she has overcome to make the 2024 U.S. Olympic team, according to TODAY. She told Kotb that making the team felt “absolutely insane.”

“There were so many times where I thought about quitting and just giving up because I was so sick, and it was just so hard to stay motivated, watching everybody get better, and I’m just like I can’t even get back into the gym and constantly doubting myself,” Lee, 21, told Kotb, according to TODAY.

“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 that I wanted,” she added. “We didn’t think I would be here. So getting through all of those events and . . . everything that we had to go through this week to get to where we are right now, it was just such a hard, incredible journey.”

Suni Lee Lost Months of Training Due to the Kidney Disease Diagnosis

GettySuni Lee prepares for a practice round on the balance beam before the Paris Olympics.

In October 2023, Self Magazine reported that the kidney diagnosis “kept her from training consistently for the last six months.”

According to Self, the first sign of the issue came when Lee “woke up with swollen ankles in February 2023.”

“I kept peeling off the bar. I couldn’t hold on,” she told Self. “My fingers were so swollen, and I couldn’t even do a normal kip cast to handstand on bars.”

Some days her eyes were “swollen nearly shut,” according to Sports Illustrated.

SI reported that she eventually realized she could compete in Paris with a proper medication regimen. “That’s when she started saying, ‘I think they’re getting a handle on it,’” her coach Jess Graba told SI. “‘I’m feeling a lot better. The doctor just called me yesterday and told me that they think they can knock down some of the medications. So I’m feeling like maybe I want to try.’  ”