Stephen Nedoroscik was quite apprehensive when he started with his Dancing with the Stars journey, as he was new to the whole craft. But he has had a blockbuster start in his campaign, as both fans and judges have praised his energetic style. The Pommel Horse specialist gymnast has credited his dance partner Rylee Arnold to a large extent for this. “She [Rylee] takes some of the credits too. She’s an incredible coach and teammate too,” Stephen had said about Rylee. But behind all these, there is a story of perseverance and resilience.

Rylee has been making strides while battling a serious health issue that has extreme fatigue as one of the symptoms- not an ideal situation for a highly demanding physical activity like dance.

Rylee, the younger sister of professional Latin and ballroom dancer Linsday Arnold, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, a disease where the pancreas does not produce sufficient insulin when she was 16.  With that, she faced the terrifying possibility that it could derail her dance dreams. While Rylee resisted that with her zeal, it doesn’t mean she hasn’t had to deal with its consequences.

On the Lightweights podcast with Joe Vulpis on September 16, Ryless Arnold had opened up about how she manages her diabetes while dancing, offering a glimpse into the challenges that come with balancing her health and career. According to Rylee, most of the time, diabetes doesn’t hold her back and she can dance without a hitch. However, according to a study by the National Library of Medicine, Type 1 diabetes comes with symptoms like fluctuating blood glucose levels that also cause ups and downs in physical activity. That’s when things get tricky.

When her blood sugar drops, it brings on self-doubt and loss of control, making her nervous. That’s why, on show days, she’s extra vigilant about keeping her blood sugar stable. However, during rehearsals, it’s not always smooth sailing. When her blood sugar dips, she needs to pause, sit down, and snack to bring it back to normal. On the flip side, when it spikes, it also messes with her performance, which became a big issue during the Dancing with the Stars Tour.

“On tour it was really hard, like there’d be times where I’d be dancing and I’d be like I don’t feel good, and then stage yes, like I’d be like my blood sugar is low, so I would go off; they’d always have fruit snacks for me on the side,” Rylee had said. Despite the support from the organizers, Rylee didn’t let it become a crutch. “There were a lot of times where I really did not feel good and my blood sugar was not good, but I just still tried to put my best foot forward and make the best show for the people watching me,” she had further added. As Rylee had revealed in a conversation with ‘The Squeeze’ in July, she had started getting symptoms while her disease was still undiagnosed.

 It included fatigue, severe thirst, rapid weight loss, and while also having to go to the bathroom every 30 minutes. Rylee’s family has two doctors, one of them being her father. But, unfortunately, when Rylee told them that she might be having the disease, they were in denial. So it remained undiagnosed and Rylee “kept getting sicker.” But eventually Rylee did convince her father.

“There was one day I came home and I was like just sitting there and I was like Dad you know like I really do not feel good, like could we get, like my blood checked or something like, I think I’m like sick with something. I literally, I was like, I went pee like seven times in the night last night,” Rylee had recalled the moment her father gauged the seriousness of the problem. So the much-awaited blood test finally happened. The reports were terrible, to say the least.

“It just said high which was crazy cuz that means it was above 600, and so then I went into the hospital, they admitted me. They like did a bunch of tests on me and then they told me that my blood sugar was 1,023,” Rylee revealed. For context, the normal range of sugar is 70 to 99 mg/dL in a fasting blood glucose test. At such high level, the body breaks down stored body fat rapidly, which can even lead to death.

In Rylee’s own words, “I could have gone to bed that night and not gone to the hospital and I could ave died.” According to her doctors, she remained undiagnosed for three months. But here is one intriguing fact: while diabetes had threatened her dance career, it was the dance that probably saved her from any casualty.

“Because I was so active in dancing every weekend and dancing so much it was helping maintain it and helping me not yeah malfunction,” Rylee revealed. So, in a word, she turned her negative into a positive. Earlier this year, she even shared a heartfelt Instagram post detailing her journey with diabetes, showing how she refuses to let it hold her back.

Rylee Arnold And Stephen Nedoroscik turned their diagnosis to motivation

On May 13, Stephen Nedoroscik’s partner Rylee Arnold posted an Instagram post marking three years since the revelation of her diabetes diagnosis. She confessed in the post that she felt the blow so much that it was one of the toughest times in her life. On the other hand, at the same time, she thanks the predicament so much for the strength that came her way. When the post was published, Rylee ended a great DWTS tour along with an exceptionally successful debut season with her partner Harry Jowsey. She said, “The fact that I have had the most amazing year, fulfilling my biggest dreams, makes me so grateful and happy!”

Stephen Nedoroscik’s partner also revealed the learning she has experienced with the disease and how she intends to aid others with the same.  But the biggest takeaway was the fact that she didn’t let her disease halt her. She wanted to let the whole world know that. “I just want you guys to know that nothing can ever stop you from achieving your dreams. You might have some bumps and challenges along the way, but they only make you so much stronger!!” she said.

It’s this never-give-up attitude that’s been Rylee Arnold’s secret weapon for success. Her determination might just be the edge that she and Stephen Nedoroscik need to snag the Dancing with the Stars Season 33 trophy. Quite intriguingly, if Rylee had a hard time with diabetes, Stephen also suffers from not one, but two eye problems.

The Olympic bronze medalist has strabismus and coloboma. Strabismus, or crossed eyes, is when the eyes point in different directions. While this is a common condition Coloboma is rare, occurring less than one in every 10,000 births. It happens when a baby’s eye doesn’t develop normally during pregnancy because of abnormal or changed genes. But look how Stephen has driven that away.

While the gymnast agrees that it is difficult to perform without his glasses, he can not afford to put them on since “they’re going to fly somewhere”. So? Here comes his impeccable skills. “When I go up on the pommel horse, it’s all about feeling the equipment,” Stephen speaks of his winning formula.

With all these, Stephen and Rylee seem to be a perfect dance-pair, who beyond the floor is also connected by hardships in life. Fingers crossed. Hopefully, this is their moment!