As an elite athlete, Lee’s body is her instrument. There’s an intimacy
and awareness borne from years spent testing her limits and becoming
extremely familiar with every nook and cranny, every strength and
weakness. Now, overnight, her body felt completely foreign. She was
supposed to be getting ready for the postseason. She was supposed to be
celebrating her final collegiate season. She was about to turn 20.
Instead, she wondered, What’s wrong with me? […]

Her message is a reminder for anyone facing health challenges as well as
the broader community of girls and women in sports, especially in the
Hmong community, in which Lee has noticed girls tend to take on more
traditional roles at home. “That’s why I want to help pave a way for
other women,” she says. She doesn’t mean that everyone should do
gymnastics. Rather, she wants to encourage people to find something that
is meaningful to them and that brings them joy, and to not give up on
themselves.