“I have not stopped crying,” Suni Lee reveals how kidney disease nearly caused her to axe 2024 Olympic dream

Suni Lee opens up about mental health after getting diagnosed with two kidney diseases, as she is set to participate in the 2024 Olympics.

“I have not stopped crying,” Suni Lee reveals how kidney disease nearly caused her to axe 2024 Olympic dream

Suni Lee [Image Credit: Imago]

Suni Lee reveals how emotionally punching a ticket to the Paris Olympics 2024 was even more so than the Tokyo Games 2020. Last year she was diagnosed with a kidney disease that forced her to take a training hiatus.

Despite learning about her disease, her Olympic dream gave her the hope to stand strong. She herself admitted to times when Lee almost quit on her dream. However, each time she calmed her nerves and through consistency, and mental strength she made her dreams come true after completing the trials with extraordinary results.

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Sunday night bore special news, as Suni Lee was selected to be one of the five women gymnasts to represent Team USA in the Olympics 2024. She’ll stand tall with her teammates Simone Biles, Jordan Chiles, Hezly Rivera, and Jade Carey. The participation was a result of her not succumbing to the two kidney diseases and weight gain that ended her collegiate career at Auburn.

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I have not stopped crying. There were so many times where I thought about just quitting and walking away from the sport because I didn’t think that I would ever get to this point.
Suni Lee as per Alex Karwowski of MN Daily.

When she was diagnosed with her illness no one knew what her future would look like. Even her doctor recommended her to quit altogether. However, with the help of her coach, and loved one she was able to make a comeback.

Her coach Jess Graba commented, “she’s tried to find a way to make it work,” and in the end, she triumphed over the disaster. Lee admitted being a little “freaked out” at the USA Trial but with the help of her therapist she was able to overcome that.

Lee revealed that she has small tricks to calm her nerves, two of them being, “telling myself affirmations” and “to breathe” as she often has trouble doing the simple things during competitions. She also noted that she loves journaling and swears to follow a daily mental ritual to remain strong and positive.

Suni Lee “feels absolutely insane” as she prepares for Paris Olympics

Suni Lee’s road to Paris has not been a smooth sailing one. With health obstacles and performance pressure, she admits “it feels absolutely insane”. She documents that her journey from last year to now has been a test for her to see how strong she can remain to fulfill her dream.

Suni Lee [Image Credit: Imago]
Suni Lee [Image Credit: Imago]

She believes having a strong will to accomplish something and staying positive are the keys to overcoming any life disaster. Lee said,

It was me proving to myself that I can overcome hard things, and to hopefully inspire others to never let life’s setbacks stop you from going after your dreams.
Suni Lee as per Alexa Michael of Fortune.com.

Not only her but Simone Biles also believes mental health is the key to everything. Especially after she herself withdrew from the 2020 Olympics due to twisties and performance pressure. She said that compared to before the world of sports is now taking “mental health a little bit more serious.” 

Biles commented, “we’re always going to prioritize mental health.” Hopefully, it’ll help young athletes to know their bounds and to take rest whenever needed for a better future in both personal and professional life.

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