{"id":593226,"date":"2023-10-04T22:05:21","date_gmt":"2023-10-04T19:05:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/olympic-gymnast-suni-lee-on-her-incurable-kidney-disease\/"},"modified":"2023-10-04T22:05:21","modified_gmt":"2023-10-04T19:05:21","slug":"olympic-gymnast-suni-lee-on-her-incurable-kidney-disease","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/olympic-gymnast-suni-lee-on-her-incurable-kidney-disease\/","title":{"rendered":"#Olympic Gymnast Suni Lee on Her Incurable Kidney Disease"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\nSuni Lee is opening up about a difficult health challenge she’s facing as she sets her sights on the 2024 Olympics.\n<\/p>\n


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\nEarlier this year, the gymnast, 20, was diagnosed with an incurable kidney disease that forced her to cut short her final NCAA gymnastics season with Auburn University and put her training on pause for the last six months.\n<\/p>\n


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\nIn a new interview with SELF<\/em> magazine,<\/a> Lee detailed how her illness unfolded. The Minnesota-born athlete said she woke up one morning in February with swollen ankles but initially shrugged off the puffiness as a benign side effect of all the intense training she was doing in the gym. However, the following morning her entire body was swollen, including her face, legs and hands.\n<\/p>\n


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\nHer coach suggested seeking the advice of one of the USA Gymnastics Women\u2019s National Team physicians, Dr. Faustin. \u201cThe first thought was, how do we figure out the answer, and who do we need to speak to?\u201d Dr. Faustin told SELF<\/em>.\n<\/p>\n


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Suni Lee competes at the 2023 US Gymnastics Championships on Aug. 27.<\/span>
\nLOREN ELLIOTT\/AFP via Getty\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\nWhen Lee went onto the gymnastics equipment, it became immedia<\/a>tely clear that her body was not capable of training. “I kept peeling off the bar. I couldn\u2019t hold on,\u201d she recalled. \u201cMy fingers were so swollen, and I couldn\u2019t even do a normal\u00a0kip cast to handstand\u00a0on bars.\u201d\n<\/p>\n


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\nHer doctors initially suspected she might be experiencing an allergic reaction, but the swelling persisted for weeks. \u201cI just kept getting more swollen\u2026and I think I gained, like, 40 pounds,\u201d Lee said. “It affected my whole body and how I looked and how I was feeling.”\n<\/p>\n


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\nShe worried that her career would be over. “What if I\u2019m never allowed to do gymnastics again or I can never make it to the Olympics again?\u201d she recalled wondering.\n<\/p>\n


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\nAfter multiple medical tests yielded no answers, Dr. Faustin asked Lee if she had done a urine test, which prompted Lee to admit she had been having difficulty urinating for two weeks. Her urine labs flagged the need for further testing, so Lee was sent to a specialist who recommended a kidney biopsy to look for signs of damage or disease.\n<\/p>\n


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\nAs her medical team continued their investigating, Lee announced on April 3 that she was ending her season at Auburn due to a “non-gymnastics health-related issue involving my kidneys.”\n<\/p>\n


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\nShe revealed her diagnosis off the record to SELF<\/em> but has decided to keep it private for now as her doctors believe the diagnosis could change upon additional testing. She did say that her condition is not common and has no cure. Her doctors are still fine-tuning a treatment plan for her that includes medication.\n<\/p>\n


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Suni Lee competes on the uneven bars for Auburn University on Jan. 20.<\/span>
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Stew Milne\/Getty\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\nWhile Lee told the magazine she is glad she has answers regarding her health, she is still having a difficult time accepting the life-changing diagnosis. \u201cHow do I just randomly wake up one day swollen, and now I\u2019m stuck with this condition for the rest of my life?\u201d she said.\n<\/p>\n


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\nLee also worries that her disease will derail her Olympic comeback plans and future in her sport. \u201cI look at myself all the time in videos, and it makes me emotional because I\u2019m just not the same athlete I was before,\u201d she noted.\n<\/p>\n


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\nHowever, she recognizes that her story is much bigger than her and could inspire other people facing similar struggles.\n<\/p>\n


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\n\u201cThis comeback was so much more than my return to elite gymnastics. It was me proving to myself that I can overcome hard things, and to hopefully inspire others to never let life\u2019s setbacks stop you from going after your dreams,\u201d she wrote in an Instagram\u00a0post<\/a> in August after returning to competition in the 2023 Core Hydration Classic.\n<\/p>\n


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