Prince Andrew Refuses to Leave Royal Lodge Because it Would Be Seen as “Publicly Accepting Guilt,” Royal Expert Claims

It all started in February 2023 when Suni Lee noticed her ankles, face, hands, and legs swelling up. At first, doctors thought it was just an allergic reaction, but when the swelling wouldn’t budge for weeks, they knew something was up. A gold medalist at the Tokyo Olympics, Lee had to deal with a heartbreaking revelation just over a year away from the Paris Games.

After rounds of testing, doctors hit her with the news—she had not one but two rare, incurable kidney diseases. As a result, she had to end her collegiate career and step away from training. In a tweet in April last year, she revealed, “I have been dealing with a non-gymnastics health-related issue involving my kidneys. For my safety, the medical team did not clear me to train and compete over the last few weeks.”

This announcement sent shockwaves in the gymnastics community and there was an outpouring of support. Subsequently, Lee had to deal with her medical condition, as her Paris dream hung by a thread. Lee has teamed up with the American Kidney Fund to bring awareness to the risk of kidney disease through their “Know Your Kidneys” campaign. In a heartfelt chat with Fox 32 Chicago, she opened up about her tough journey with the diagnosis. She recalled the initial days when she found it hard to comprehend what was going on.

“I just kept getting more swollen… I think I gained, like, 40 pounds… I didn’t even recognize myself,” Lee shared. Reflecting on the shock of her diagnosis, she added, “It was very difficult. I always thought that I was super healthy, so waking up one day not really knowing what was going on was really scary.” The unexpected struggle hit hard, especially since gymnastics was her true love. She continued, “Of course not being able to do the one thing I love, which was gymnastics at the time, it was really difficult.”