Exclusive: Suni Lee Says It Was 'Nice' to Not 'Be Perfect' All the Time While Battling Kidney Disease and Training for the Olympics: 'A Hard Experience'

When Suni Lee, who was diagnosed with two rare kidney diseases last year, competed at the 2024 Olympics in Paris this past summer, she knew she had to take it easy.

"It's just a matter of balance. My coaches have always been so supportive and they just made sure I wasn't overdoing it because we've never done this before. My coaches never had to coach someone who has dealt with kidney disease, so having them there was great. They were like, 'What can you do today? What can you not do? How's your body feeling?' I think the most important thing was that they cared for me more as a person than they did as an athlete," the 21-year-old told Morning Honey while discussing her collaboration with the American Kidney Fund on their “Know Your Kidneys” campaign.

"They loved me like my parents do, and it was really nice knowing that I didn't have to be perfect all the time because in gymnastics you are always competing in front of a really big crowd," she continued. "It can be hard since people would look at my body. I think I'm the only person that is probably thinking about how I look when I'm on TV but nobody else cares. It was a really hard experience, but it turned into something great."

The six-time Olympian medalist, who earned team gold, bronze in women's all-around and bronze in women's uneven bars at the 2024 Olympics, made quite the impression on viewers around the globe. "It's really cool. It's always great to see women in sports thrive. We deserve the recognition that we lacked for a lot of years," she shared, adding there's been "so many" highlights so far in her career.

"I get through my biggest competitions, and I'm like, 'That was whatever.' Then I have my doctor, and she's like, 'Suni, you realize what you just did, right?' I'm like, 'It's fine, we're going to the Olympics.' And she's like, 'No, you weren't even supposed to be here.' It's moments like that where I have to step back and take it all in and realize how important and great it is that I'm here and in this position after being told I'd never be here," she said.

As for what the future looks like, Lee is going with the flow. "I feel like only time will tell! The next Olympics is not out of my head, but it's definitely not something I'm thinking about right now because we just finished this one. I want to take it day by day and live my life. I'm excited," she noted.

In the meantime, Lee, who gained 45 pounds in a span of two weeks, leading to her diagnosis, is all about spreading the word about kidney disease and helping others, which is why teaming up with the American Kidney Fund (AKF) for the organization’s “Know Your Kidneys” initiative was a no-brainer.

"When I was first diagnosed, my doctors didn't want to listen to me," she admitted. "They told me it was just allergies. So, having to advocate for myself and making sure I was getting the right treatment plan was really important because I was doing gymnastics as well, and then getting told I was never going to do gymnastics was really heartbreaking. In the beginning, it was super hard for me to talk about it because I didn't really know what I was talking about, whereas now I feel a little more educated about it because I've had to learn more about kidney disease and more about my body. I know if I was struggling then a lot of other people were too."

Together with LaVarne Burton, President and CEO of American Kidney Fund, they shed light on unknown causes of kidney disease and share resources that can help those seeing a diagnosis.

"It has been such an amazing experience," Lee gushed. "I really wanted to raise more awareness about kidney disease and then the American Kidney Fund has made such a big impact on the kidney community. I wanted people to know how important it is to advocate for yourself when seeking a diagnosis."

Burton added: "If you have some stage of kidney disease, you want to work with your healthcare team to find out the cause and then develop a treatment plan. As Suni has learned, you're not alone in this. There are over 35 million people in this country with some stage of kidney disease, and we're working to bring those people together to give them a voice. You don't have to know all the answers, but if you know you've got an issue, you know your body, then you want to be your best advocate to get to the cause. That's what the plan is all about — trying to get those answers."

Now, Lee is thrilled to be helping others.

"I struggled speaking about it. I used to be so embarrassed not because I had kidney disease but because I didn't know what I was talking about," she said. "I didn't want to share wrong information but getting to speak about it and learning more about it has made me feel so much more comfortable in my own skin."

For more information, click here: www.KidneyFund.org/KnowYourKidneys.