Two-time Olympic gold medalist Sunisa ‘Suni’ Lee is among Team USA’s young gymnastics icons. At just 21, the gymnast has already earned six Olympic medals, including an individual all-around gold at Tokyo 2020. However, the Olympian has battled some serious health issues that have hampered her sporting career. Now, after finding out the root cause of those issues, Lee has opened up about her struggles.

After periodically struggling with recurring bouts of bad health, Lee fell severely ill last year. The gymnast could use the bathroom, and even her eyes had swollen up. Additionally, the Olympic gold medalist had gained 45 lbs in two weeks. While Lee understood something was wrong, she felt reluctant to ask for help. “I’m really shy. I kind of just do what other people say,” Lee revealed.

Thankfully, after some fruitless attempts to identify what ailed her on her own, the gymnast finally decided to seek help. Suni Lee started with someone she knew well, the co-head physician of USA Gymnastics, Marcia Faustin. Faustin jumped into action and instructed the Olympian to get tested. So the 21-year-old set her inhibitions aside and sought an official diagnosis.

“So speaking up for myself when I was really scared, not even knowing what was going on because, for one, I’m not a doctor. I was just assuming from my Google search that something was wrong with my kidneys.” Sunisa Lee told Us Weekly. However, despite seeking professional help things didn’t go smoothly for the former Auburn Tiger.

The former world champion revealed her woes with getting a correct diagnosis while talking to OK! Magazine. “When I was first diagnosed, my doctors didn’t want to listen to me… They told me it was just allergies,” explained the gymnast. However, Lee could sense that it was far more than allergies. “I know you’re a doctor, but I am feeling this,” she recalled telling her doctor.

Finally, after Suni Lee’s assistance, the doctors conducted further investigations and discovered the root cause—or rather, the causes. They found that the Olympic champion had not one but two incurable kidney diseases. The severe symptoms Lee experienced in early 2023 were due to flare-ups of both conditions. However, knowing the true cause didn’t make things any easier for her.

How Suni Lee handled her diagnosis

Even after the correct diagnosis, it took Sunisa Lee quite some time to adjust. First on Lee’s list was to get the symptoms under control. “I couldn’t even look at myself in the mirror. I didn’t even recognize myself,” the 21-year-old recalled how it felt at the height of her illness last year. With the Olympics drawing near, Lee also knew she had to get back in the gymnasium.

However, that was easier said than done. “My coaches have never had to deal with someone who has had two kidney diseases… So it’s all a learning process. And we’re taking it day by day,” the Olympian said at the Team USA Media Summit in April 2024. However, Suni Lee’s champion mentality didn’t let the challenge overwhelm her.

While the gymnast knew she was dealing with serious health issues, she thought every athlete had their own battles, and she could use this as an excuse. “I know if I was struggling, then a lot of other people were too,” she told OK! Magazine. However, with the correct diagnosis, Lee took steps to get her health issues under control without taking any time off from training. The result manifested itself in the form of three Olympic medals at the 33rd Summer Games in Paris.