Suni Lee has never been more comfortable and confident, but the six-time Olympic medalist admitted it took a while to get there.
In an interview with Us Weekly, Lee — the 21-year-old Team USA gymnast who doubled her haul with three medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics — explained how picking and choosing what parts of her life to show on social media has taken some old fashioned trial and error, especially when it comes to discussing her recent kidney disease diagnosis.
“When it comes to talking about it on my platforms, and knowing what to share and what not to share, it gets a little bit dicey because I get questions all the time about what it actually is and stuff like that,” said Lee, who spoke exclusively to Us about her collaboration with the American Kidney Fund on their “Know Your Kidneys” campaign.
Lee added, “I know people like to make their own assumptions and things like that. When it gets to where people are trying to tell me what I can and can’t do with my life, that’s where I draw the line.”
In early 2023, Lee was diagnosed with two types of incurable kidney disease after she gained over 45 pounds in the span of two weeks. “I wasn’t able to go to the bathroom,” she told Glamour in a story published earlier this month. “I couldn’t bend my legs because they were so swollen, and my fingers too. My eyes were almost swollen shut. I was like, ‘Something is happening.’”
Lee sought the advice of USA Gymnastics cohead physician Marcia Faustin, who immediately had Lee get tested and, ultimately, diagnosed.
“I think that’s what makes this experience so much more special,” Lee told Us. “I’m really shy. I kind of just do what other people say. So speaking up for myself when I was really scared, not even knowing what was going on because, for one, I’m not a doctor. I was just assuming from my Google search that something was wrong with my kidneys.”
Lee said she pushed her doctor to take a deeper look at the underlying issues, insisting that it was more than just allergies. “I know you’re a doctor, but I am feeling this,” she recalled telling her physician “It really just took a lot to get to where we are now, but I’m so grateful that I did.”
After managing her disease and eventually being cleared to return to competition, Lee is now seeking to pay forward the knowledge she’s learned along the way.
“I always knew I wanted to share my story, but it was also really important for me to partner with the American Kidney Fund because I just wanted to raise more awareness to kidney diseases,” Lee said. “They impact the kidney community so much. But also just trying to emphasize how important it is to advocate for yourself was another big reason I wanted to do it.”
The “Know Your Kidneys” program is designed to be a customized experience for people at risk for kidney disease and those living with it, providing comprehensive, interactive resources to support them through their entire kidney disease journey.
LaVarne A. Burton, the American Kidney Fund’s President and Chief Executive Officer, gushed about how Lee’s involvement will impact and help save lives.
“The earlier that you determine something is wrong and that you can develop a treatment plan and work with your healthcare providers to adhere to that treatment plan,” Burton told Us. “Maybe it means some changes in diet or some changes in new medications and exercise and those kinds of things. You don’t have to give up on your dreams. You can continue to pursue those.”
She added, “You just have to work at it really hard. Like Suni did.”
For more on the American Kidney Fund’s “Know Your Kidneys” program, click here.
