Suni Lee revealed that she has had a lifelong battle with eczema.
Lee, 21, won the gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in gymnastics all-around.
She appeared on a recent panel sponsored by the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and opened up about having been diagnosed with the skin condition at a young age.
“My skin was always super dry, super flaky. It was really uncomfortable because it was really itchy,” she said, as covered by CBS News. “But my mom ended up taking me to the doctor and my doctor sent me to a dermatologist, and that’s when we got my diagnosis and we found the right treatment plan.”
She said that she wants to be there as a role model for children that are going through what she did.
“It can be kind of isolating when you deal with eczema and having an eczema flare-up, so I just want people to know that you are not alone and it does not define you,” Lee said. “When you deal with it and you’re constantly looking down at your skin, you probably think, ‘Oh, other people are looking at it and staring at it.’ But in reality, I don’t really think anyone’s looking that hard.”
Lee also battled a severe kidney illness that forced her to retire early from her collegiate gymnastics career at Auburn.
She said that she is “doing a lot better” and is “so happy” to have these troubles behind her so that she can compete at the upcoming Olympics in Paris.
“I have had to deal with so much the past two years. Just feel so good to know that I can be back out there, not even at my best, and I can still be able to perform,” Lee said. “I’m so excited.”