{"id":238578,"date":"2024-07-01T19:39:06","date_gmt":"2024-07-01T19:39:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2024\/07\/01\/suni-lee-nearly-quit-gymnastics-after-kidney-disease-diagnosis-hollywood-life\/"},"modified":"2025-06-25T17:15:43","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T17:15:43","slug":"suni-lee-nearly-quit-gymnastics-after-kidney-disease-diagnosis-hollywood-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2024\/07\/01\/suni-lee-nearly-quit-gymnastics-after-kidney-disease-diagnosis-hollywood-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Suni Lee Nearly Quit Gymnastics After Kidney Disease Diagnosis \u2013 Hollywood Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Suni Lee<\/strong><\/a>\u2018s journey to the 2024 Paris Olympics was harder than what most athletes have been through. The 21-year-old gymnast appeared on TODAY<\/em><\/a> alongside her teammates \u2014 Simone Biles<\/strong><\/a>, Jordan Chiles<\/strong><\/a>, Jade Carey<\/strong> and Hezly Rivera<\/strong> \u2014 and opened up about the difficult battle she endured after being diagnosed with two forms of kidney disease.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t think I would be here,\u201d she admitted, referring to her current status as a member of the 2024 U.S. Olympic team. \u201cSo, getting through all of those events and \u2026 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Suni then explained how she got through the moments of self-doubt, recalling the \u201cmany 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cA year ago, I didn\u2019t think this was possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

An emotional Suni Lee reflects on her journey to the #ParisOlympics<\/a>. pic.twitter.com\/vkFmnk2omd<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 1, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cAnd I\u2019m just like, \u2018I can\u2019t even get back into the gym\u2019 and constantly doubting myself,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

Suni won the women\u2019s individual All-Around competition at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Shortly thereafter, she enrolled at Auburn University to compete with the school\u2019s gymnastics team. However, by her sophomore year, she left due to her health condition. In early 2023, Suni noticed that she had swelling around her body and had gained around 40 pounds. Doctors subsequently discovered that the athlete had an incurable kidney disease. However, she was determined to get back on the floor for gymnastics training.<\/p>\n

In August 2023, Suni shared a positive update with her Instagram followers, noting how \u201cblessed and so so grateful\u201d she was to get back to competing at an elite level.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis comeback was so much more than my return to elite gymnastics,\u201d she wrote at the time. \u201cIt was me proving to myself that I can overcome hard things, and to hopefully inspire others to never let life\u2019s setbacks stop you from going after your dreams.\u201d<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, Suni confirmed that she was in remission. She is now on her way to Paris this summer to represent Team USA at the 2024 Olympic Games.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n