Suni Lee Talks Her Comeback at Paris Olympics After Kidney Disease Diagnosis: ‘I Just Love Proving Them Wrong’ (Exclusive)

Six-time Olympic medalist Suni Lee is looking back on how far she’s come since a devastating kidney disease diagnosis in 2023.

The 21-year-old gymnast recently opened up to PopCulture.com about her journey to the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she helped Team USA win gold in the team final and earned bronze in the uneven bars and the all-around.

One day in 2023, the former Auburn athlete Lee woke up at college to find herself “fully swollen” all over her body and face. “I just kind of thought that I either ate something bad and got food poisoning or was allergic to something,” she remembered. “So I went into the gym and I tried to do gymnastics and I couldn’t even lift myself up.”

With her fingers so swollen they wouldn’t even fit into her grips, she knew something was “really off” with her body. “It was just really scary, especially knowing that I’ve been so healthy my whole life,” she admitted. “Then to just randomly wake up one day and not know what’s wrong…”

Getting a correct diagnosis was “frustrating,” and required the Olympian to advocate for herself after first being dismissed as having an allergic reaction. “I knew it wasn’t allergies, so I went out of my way and I was just like, ‘I know you’re a doctor, but this isn’t allergies,’” she told PopCulture. “It was scary because, for one, I’m not a doctor. And also, I didn’t really know what was going on, but I knew that it wasn’t [allergies]. So I just wanted to get that clear.”

With more tests and a biopsy, Lee was diagnosed with kidney disease, which the American Kidney Fund estimates over 35 million people in this country have to some degree. The diagnosis came as a shock for Lee, who was preparing for the Olympic Trials after winning gold in the all-around at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

“I was scared. Of course, [there is] the pressure from the last Olympics and having people tell me that I wasn’t good enough to even win the Olympics in Tokyo, and then trying to redeem myself or thinking that I had to redeem myself at this Olympics,” she shared. “But then getting sick, it was like I knew I didn’t have a chance at winning. So I just kind of wanted to make it there. And that’s when I had to switch my mindset and be like, ‘Okay, I’m worrying about the wrong things. My health matters first.’”

Choosing to focus on her health until she was in the “right physical shape” to even think about Paris, Lee admitted it was “really frustrating” having to put her training on hold. Not even kidney disease could keep Lee away from that Olympic podium in the end, however.

“People love doubting me and I just love proving them wrong,” Lee told PopCulture. “So that’s exactly what I did.”

Working through her kidney disease diagnosis and coming out an Olympic champion on the other side has changed Lee as an athlete “in so many ways,” both physically and mentally, allowing her to realize how strong she really is.

It’s that realization that inspired the athlete to partner with the American Kidney Fund and its “Know Your Kidneys” initiative to raise awareness about the disease that turned her world upside down.

AKF President and CEO LaVarne A. Burton told PopCulture that Lee’s diagnosis story was “unfortunately very common,” but that it was important for people who suspect they may be having kidney issues to follow in her footsteps when it comes to self-advocacy. The AKF’s “Know Your Cause” pathway not only offers information about testing options, genetic counseling and clinical trials, but it also provides an interactive tool to guide patients on how to speak with their doctor about identifying kidney disease, which is critical to ensure the most effective treatment plan.

“Suni is an example [that] it could happen at any age,” Burton explained. “The most common causes are high blood pressure and diabetes, but there also are rare genetic conditions such as in Suni’s case. You can also have kidney disease because of an infection, and unfortunately in many cases, we may not always know the cause.” Learn more about your kidneys and kidney disease with the AKF here.