Sadly, Suni became ill and her diagnosis came with challenges that the athlete had to overcome.
What Happened to Suni When She Got Sick?
When she became sick and before getting her diagnosis, Suni stopped training for the Paris Olympics. The star also canceled her promotional work. The star became anxious because she needed to do something to provide for herself and her siblings for whom she’d opened college savings.
Suni Lee’s family and friends supporting her in an image uploaded on July 29, 2021 | Source: Instagram/sunisalee
The gymnast became frugal with whatever money she had left. She relocated back to Minnesota but got an apartment and Bean, an Australian Shepherd. The athlete spent days in bed cuddling her pet and crying into his fur.
Recalling the time, Coach Jess said, “I think a lot of it for her, too, was … she didn’t have a purpose.” The longtime coach noted that when one doesn’t have a purpose, it’s hard to find a reason to get out of bed in the morning.
Suni Lee hugging someone who is supporting her in an image uploaded on July 29, 2021 | Source: Instagram/sunisalee
Jess said Suni is a people person and hiding herself and avoiding people wasn’t healthy for the athlete. He had to coax the gymnast “to at least come out of her shell and come in and do something else with her day.”
She became depressed and lonely and often cried herself to sleep. Suni spent weeks on bed rest and took five months off. During that time, the five-foot frame star gained 45 pounds before returning to the gym.
Suni Lee in Time’s Square, New York City, in an image uploaded on August 5, 2021 | Source: Instagram/sunisalee
Besides her diagnosis, the gymnast also suffered from skin issues. She spoke about it before, noting how isolating it can be to deal with eczema or flare-ups. Suni wanted people suffering from the same issue not to feel alone and that it “does not define you.”
She said dealing with it constantly, sufferers probably think others are looking and staring at it. But the truth is that “I don’t really think anyone’s looking that hard.” While she’s faced challenges before, what she discovered about her illness in 2023 almost ended her career.
Dealing with Illnesses That Almost Concluded Her Career
At age 20 in August 2023, Suni partook in the balance beam and vault competition in the US Classic and Championships. Sadly, like her idol, she had to withdraw from Team USA’s World Championships and Pan Am Games selection competition a month later.
The move meant her season was done but it started a challenging five-month period that she only emerged from around February 2024. Suni revealed that she hit a “rough patch” being in and out of the gym during that period.
She said it was more of a mental thing, but she also tried to figure out her health. The star tried being as healthy as possible before starting 2024 because she didn’t want to worry about it much.
She also said she ensured “that I was going into remission and not going to have a little break out before a big meet.” What she was referring to was the nearly one year that she spent adjusting to a kidney-related health issue.
Suni Lee performing a gymnastic routine in an image uploaded on August 3, 2021 | Source: Instagram/sunisalee
In March 2023, she suddenly became sick with an unknown condition that caused her to retain 40 pounds of water. It was later diagnosed as two kidney-related conditions she doesn’t want to name. They led to the possibility of her not partaking in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
After the doctors told her she might never do gymnastics again, the gymnast struggled to find motivation as she remained frustrated by her health. The ailment caused an early end to her NCAA career at Auburn University.
Months later she was unable to feature in the international competition. Not being able to do gymnastics caused Suni to become depressed because she couldn’t attend practice. The star later confessed that she didn’t spend the time doing anything good for her.
She explained, “I was just kind of rotting in my bed and hoping that it would all go away.” But things were better by February 2024. Suni still visited doctors every few weeks and she got an infusion but her progression to healing was good.
What the athlete didn’t know was that kidney problems were hereditary. Yeev revealed that her brother (Suni’s uncle) passed on from kidney failure at 45. Her mother, Suni’s grandmother, died of the same ailment when she was “a little bit over 60.”
Despite the challenges, the gymnast is doing better. Each day she wakes up now, she feels fine. She added, “I also have been doing this for long enough now, I think, to know the right time to take my medicine, to be able to be perfect for in the morning.” She’s since gotten back to a consistent training regiment.
Ahead of her February 2024 debut at the Winter Cup in Louisville, Kentucky, Suni shared some good news. She revealed, “I’ve been back in the gym every single day, eight hours a day, and it’s been going pretty well.”
Mayo Clinic doctors tried controlling her symptoms with different drug combinations. But any change came with side effects like exhaustion and weight gain. Now Suni takes medicine for her diagnosis daily but explained that it isn’t an illness that she can take a pill for and become better.
The gymnast confessed, “I was going to have to deal with this my whole life.” Before starring in the Tokyo Olympics, Suni set smaller goals that she could overcome.
How Suni Got Herself Back into Gymnastics
Coach Jess said after spending time battling her diagnosis, it was hard to get Suni to believe that she could get back into gymnastics. The first couple of weeks after Christmas were very hard for the athlete. She had to accept that having smaller goals is necessary.
The coach believed in goals that “build on each other to get her where she ultimately wants to be later this summer.” Suni confirmed that her approach was to try and have smaller goals instead of immediately focusing on the Olympics.
She took it “day-by-day, step-by-step,” and tried to avoid expecting perfection immediately. What she focused on was going to the gym for a week, but it was hard, and she’d go in for two days and not pitch for two weeks.
Sometimes she had so much stress that she didn’t even want to go practice. But she knew going was important and that “I’m going to kick myself at the end of the day if I didn’t go.” Besides going to the gym, the athlete strengthened herself holistically by going to therapy and journaling.
Those two methods were a game changer as she suffered from self-doubt, pressure, and “a lot of not knowing where it all stemmed from.” Being able to talk about her struggles and knowing that “it’s OK to not be OK, it’s a great feeling.”
Another method she’s adopted is visualizing. Before going to sleep, she visualizes her routines and “all the possibilities of things that can happen.” Suni explained that gymnastics is a mental sport. Without intentionally doing it, she lies in bed and starts seeing herself “splitting the beam or crashing on my head.”
She’ll note how those outcomes aren’t good and start over until she gets the perfect routine before going to sleep. Focusing on the wrong thing or doubt can throw you off, says Suni, adding, “If I were to do this in a competition, then I know exactly what to do, because I did it in my head already.”
The gymnast continued, “Then it just kind of comes naturally.” Another practice she uses is to give herself keywords for each skill, then she’s able to remember them easily during routines. An example is her being on the beam and thinking, “Okay, legs!” and then she remembers “Oh yeah, activate your legs or finish your takeoff.”
Fans and family supporting Suni Lee after making the US Olympics Team in a video uploaded on July 1, 2024 | Source: YouTube/Access Hollywood
This method helps the star because it forces her to think about her routine and nothing else. Suni eventually got back into her career and got some good news about her diagnosis.
Getting Back into the Game
Suni’s return to the sport was in August 2023, as mentioned before. But, after announcing her return to the Olympics, she had fears yet she knew she couldn’t pull out. The star switched the way she thought and questioned why she was doing it for everyone else because that was the wrong reason.
Suni Lee’s statement released on July 11, 2024 | Source: Instagram/sunisalee
The same month she returned to gymnastics, she took to Instagram to share a picture of herself being encouraged by someone and a video of her performing. She said she felt blessed and grateful and that her comeback was more than her returning to elite gymnastics.
It was her proving to herself that she can “overcome hard things,” and “hopefully inspire others to never let life’s setbacks stop you from going after your dreams. see y’all in San Jose🌟.” On January 4, 2024, a date she’ll never forget, Suni’s doctor called her with some good news.
The medical professional informed the athlete that her “medications were working well” and infusions wouldn’t need to be done often. The treatments left her feeling exhausted and sometimes they set her back for at least a week.
The great news meant she had seven months to focus on her training for the Paris Olympics. In July 2023, her parents revealed that their daughter was practicing daily and the next journey would be hers with them going along with it.
Yeev Thoy and John Lee talking about supporting Suni Lee in France for the Paris Olympic Games on July 30, 2023 | Source: YouTube/NBC Bay Area
Before she returned to the sport, John said he got lots of questions from friends and people worldwide who asked if she was coming back. He shared that the Hmong community in the US was excited about her return and those in France also felt the same.
A Hmong activist in France, Emilie Lee, said when the community heard one of their own won a gold medal in the Olympics, they were all proud. For Suni’s Olympic participation in Paris, Emilie encouraged their community to unite and support the athlete so that history will know who they are.
Emilie Lee talking about supporting Suni Lee in France for the Paris Olympic Games on July 30, 2023 | Source: YouTube/NBC Bay Area
On June 30, 2024, Suni was emotional when she got named part of the US Olympic gymnastics team. This was after spending two days competing at the US Olympic Team Trials. She finished second in the all-around and secured her spot on her second Olympic team.
Suni Lee crying after making the US Olympics Team in a video uploaded on July 1, 2024 | Source: YouTube/Access Hollywood
Her parents watched and supported her from a suite as she and Jordan Chiles remained close. The pair competed for the second US all-around spot behind Simone. Suni eventually pushed her competitor out “by less than a tenth” and also qualified for bars and beam finals.
Suni Lee at the US Olympic Team Trials for women’s gymnastics in Minneapolis on June 30, 2024 | Source: Getty Images
Speaking to the crowd after the announcement, Suni said, “A year ago, I didn’t even think this was possible,” before breaking into tears. More good news is that her kidney diseases are in remission.
Suni Lee reacts after being selected for the 2024 US Olympic Women’s Gymnastics Team at the 2024 US Olympic Team Gymnastics Trials on June 30, 2024, in Minneapolis, Minnesota | Source: Getty Images
Gone was the person she didn’t recognize when looking in the mirror. Her journey with her illness had been scary, with her stating, “I didn’t know it then, but the old Suni was gone. And she would never be back.”
Sunisa Lee of Team US competes in the Women’s Uneven Bars at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on August 1, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan | Source: Getty Images
At the 2024 Tokyo Olympics, the Women’s Qualifiers for the All-Around Final were led by Simone Biles— 59.566, Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade came second — 57.7, and Suni was third — 56.132. Speaking about Simone, she and Suni Lee are supporting and encouraging each other at the 2024 games.
Suni and Simone’s Working Relationship
During an interview, Yeev’s daughter shared about the relationship she has with her idol. She revealed that she and Simone always want what’s best for each other. Despite them vying for the same spot, they rooted for each other because “we know the potential that somebody else can bring.”
Jordan Chiles, Hezly Rivera, Jade Carey, Simone Biles, and Sunisa Lee of Team US pose for a photo during the Artistic Gymnastics Women’s Qualification at the Olympic Games Paris on July 28, 2024, in Paris, France | Source: Getty Images
They understood the hardships and difficulties they faced daily to be at the Olympics. So they supported and leaned on each other, and it’s “been the most helpful thing and something that you don’t see often.”
Simone Biles, Suni Lee, and Jordan Chiles react after competing at the US Olympic Team Gymnastics Trials on June 30, 2024, in Minneapolis, Minnesota | Source: Getty Images
An example of their support was evident during the vault competition for US nationals in June 2024. When Suni fell and left to have “a breakdown,” her hero spoke to her. The Hmong athlete confessed to Simone after the meet that she was not okay.
Simone encouraged her to continue for herself and the goals she’d set. She also told her that she was capable of doing difficult things. Suni’s idol said she knew the Hmong gymnast just needed encouragement and someone to trust her abilities and believe in her, and it worked.
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