After Suni Lee won gold in the women’s all-around final at the Tokyo Olympics, the Paris Games felt like a natural next step, a sure thing even, until a sudden, painful and distressing episode (not the kind that sends her flipping off the mat on adrenaline) turned her world upside down.
Last year, the now 21-year-old gymnast was diagnosed with two rare kidney diseases. Since then, Li has been sharing bits and pieces about her health progress, and on June 30, she qualified for Paris — something she feared would be impossible at the worst possible time. Below, we dig into everything Li shared about her kidney disease, from the shocking warning signs to how she’s feeling now.
Li’s first symptoms appeared seemingly overnight.
In February 2023, Lee woke up with swollen ankles and immediately blamed it on intense training, she previously told SELF in her cover story. She didn’t think much of it until the next morning, when her face, hands, and feet — her entire body — were swollen as well. “It just kept swelling up and up, and I think I gained like 40 pounds,” she recalled. The swelling quickly affected her training. “The bar kept peeling off. I couldn’t hold on,” she said. “My fingers were so swollen.”
Initially, doctors thought Li might be having an allergic reaction, but as her symptoms progressed over two weeks, Li realized that wasn’t likely. In March 2023, she was unable to compete in the NCAA tournament. At this point, she was competing as a student-athlete on Auburn University’s gymnastics team, all the while neither she nor her doctors knew what was wrong. “It affected my whole body, and I looked and felt bad,” she said.
In addition to severe swelling (she would sometimes wake up with her eyes swollen shut), Li also experienced hot flashes, chills, headaches and cramps. Team USA Media SummitShe revealed she suffered constant pain, nausea and dizzyness. “I couldn’t bend my legs at all. I couldn’t grip my fingers,” she said.
All of this took a toll on her mental health, too. Lee spoke candidly at the Summit about how that period in her life was “very, very miserable.” “I couldn’t even look at myself in the mirror,” she said. Sports Illustrated In June. “I was just wasting away in bed. I couldn’t talk to anyone. I never left the house.”
She was eventually diagnosed with two rare kidney diseases.
After Li underwent multiple medical tests to no avail, USA Gymnastics team physician Marcia Faustin asked if the doctors had done a routine urine test. Li admitted that she hadn’t and had been having trouble urinating for the past two weeks, a warning sign that could indicate kidney disease. The doctors ran more tests and ultimately referred her to a specialist who recommended a biopsy of her kidney tissue. A biopsy can reveal if there are signs of damage or disease.
When SELF interviewed Lee last year, she privately revealed her diagnosis; understandably, doctors were hesitant to go into details because they believed her condition could change. She has since publicly revealed that she’s been diagnosed with two separate kidney-related conditions, but has not revealed the names of the illnesses. Lee told SELF that her condition is rare and there is no cure yet, but that she takes regular medication to manage her symptoms.
Lee retired from collegiate gymnastics to focus on her health.
On April 3, 2023, Lee announced that she would not complete her sophomore gymnastics season at Auburn University. “I have been dealing with health issues unrelated to gymnastics regarding my kidneys,” she said. Share on social media“For my safety, the medical team has not allowed me to train or compete over the past few weeks. I am blessed and grateful to be able to work with the best professional medical team to treat and manage my diagnosis. At this time I am focused on my health and recovery.”
