Esther Lee, the physiotherapist who has labored with the likes of Serena and Venus Williams, and later Shaun White, is “doing nice” three years after first being recognized with Stage 4 pancreatic most cancers, White tells PEOPLE.
White, 35, was excited to share that Lee, 45, is doing nicely and staying constructive since she was first recognized in July 2020. The prognosis is terminal and most sufferers have a life expectancy of 1 yr.
“She’s doing nice and I am so thrilled to have the ability to say that,” the retired snowboarder says, lighting up when speaking about his longtime good friend. “I’m really imagined to have breakfast together with her in a few days. She’s nice.”
The Los Angeles-based physiotherapist first started working with the Williams sisters in 2009 after a fateful bodily remedy session with Serena.
“I instantly fell in love,” Serena, now 41, informed Sports activities Illustrated final yr, including that she “actually requested her on the spot” to come back on the highway together with her and Venus.
“She’s an amazingly candy individual,” Serena informed the outlet. “And he or she has a terrific character. She’s simply very nice—the soul of her being is sweet. There’s nothing dangerous you may say about her.”
Lee labored with the Williams sisters full-time till 2015 when she determined to return to Los Angeles with hopes of beginning a household. Quickly after, Lee met White and started working with the famed Olympian as he started his pursuit for a 3rd gold medal on the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang.
Esther Lee and Shaun White. Esther Lee/Instagram
White spoke with PEOPLE just lately forward of the discharge of his new four-part documentary collection Shaun White: The Final Run on Max and gave an replace on Lee’s well being.
Lee is a distinguished determine within the documentary, which exhibits candid footage of the 2 working and touring collectively throughout the 2018 and 2022 Winter Olympics. All through the collection, White is proven working with Lee and discussing his psychological state as he involves phrases together with his approaching retirement.
“We actually bonded via loads of rollercoaster days collectively,” Lee says in The Final Run. “I’ve seen him cry. I’ve seen him be the happiest and the saddest. I really feel like he’s my little brother. We’ve gone via quite a bit and I believe much more so within the final couple years.”
Esther Lee. Esther Lee/Instagram
At one other level, White begins to cry when recalling the second Lee referred to as him in 2020 to share the information she had most cancers.
“You hear about this stuff and I’m simply pondering, like, how may this bundle of pleasure, this enjoyable, stunning individual have this factor occur to her?” White says.
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Lee first met White shortly after he was coming off a fourth-place end on the Sochi Video games in 2014. The snowboarder says in The Final Run that he was “extremely depressed” concerning the end, explaining how the loss had “haunted” him.
However 4 years later, with Lee on his workforce, White returned to win gold for a document third time.
“There have been so many individuals alongside the best way that had been with me on this journey, and he or she’s been such a tremendous a part of my psychological wellness comeback,” White tells PEOPLE.
Esther Lee. Esther Lee/Instagram
White competed for a remaining time in his profession on the 2022 Olympics in Beijing. As a result of COVID pandemic restrictions on the time, just one individual was allowed to journey with every athlete to the video games — and White picked Lee.
In the course of the occasion, Lee shared an emotional tribute to White on Instagram, calling him a “expensive loving good friend who has performed an enormous half in my most cancers restoration.” And late final yr, White gifted her a U.S. Olympic Workforce ring.
“What a loopy, significant and emotional journey it’s been to be challenged, knocked down, to assist one another again up over and over and over and to rejoice victories alongside the best way,” Lee wrote on Instagram final December. “I’m eternally honored to be a part of Workforce Shaun and thanks so very a lot for being a part of Workforce Esther. You jogged my memory that life is about needing one another, it’s about teamwork.”
