Rising Stars: Meet Lilliana Leurs of Lebanon, Tennessee

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lilliana Leurs.

Hi Lilliana, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started gymnastics classes when I was only 18 months old in a mom & me class. By the time I was 5, I was on the competitive team, and by 7, I was training 20 hours a week. From the beginning, I was passionate about gymnastics. I felt the most like me in the gym, flying through the air, it was home. I have always had influential coaches who helped me reach my full potential and encouraged me to work hard and persevere. Gymnastics has taught me so much more than tricks and skills. It has taught me to be tenacious, to be consistent, to persevere, and to do hard things. At one point in my gymnastics career, I developed a mental block and I was terrified to do anything backward. I wouldn’t do skills I had done for years, even do a backbend, because I was in so much fear all the time. During this part of my journey, I learned that my identity was not in gymnastics but in God. Eventually, I was at a competition and got the courage to do a back handspring on the floor again. To this day, that is one of my most valuable core memories. I think back on how important it was that I pushed through the fear, overcame that huge obstacle, and persevered.

In 2023, I began having severe shoulder pain. I couldn’t finish a practice without being in pain. At first, my shoulder only hurt when I was active but it slowly began affecting me, even outside of the gym. It was unbearable at times, but I was too afraid to let anyone know the extent of my pain for fear I would not be able to compete in the sport I love. At my state competition in March of 2023, I had to ice my shoulder to try and numb the pain after I did bars. My shoulder was so numb and I was in so much pain that I fell off the beam because I couldn’t feel my arm, this is when my mom realized this was a bigger problem than I had let on. I started going to ortho doctors, getting x-rays and MRIs to try and figure out what was wrong, but no tests showed any promising answers. Eventually, I was diagnosed with a rare condition called Thoracic Outlet Syndrom and told by the Dr at Vanderbilt that I would never be a competitive gymnast again. I was devastated. TOS develops from a perfect storm of circumstances. My body was too small for my muscles, which created pressure in the thoracic outlet of my body. This main nerve goes all the way down your arm, into the neck and shoulder. The pain became so severe that it began affecting my appetite; I lost 20 pounds in just a few months. I struggled to get through my daily activities, I couldn’t work out, and worst of all, I could not do the sport I loved so dearly. I was in horrific, chronic pain all of the time for over a year.

Throughout this season, I tried to stay positive. I told my mom that I was going to be in pain if I layed around and gave up or if I chose to continue to participate in life. I had to persevere. I focused on my school, I started trying new activities like singing and acting, and I decided to become a gymnastics coach and pour into younger gymnasts. Being in the gym every day and not being able to participate was difficult, but I found joy and purpose in encouraging others and coaching them to be their best. I was pushed out of my comfort zone and I grew so much in this season of struggle. Chronic pain can be incredibly isolating, especially as a teenager when your peers have no idea what you’re going through, but these new outlets were incredibly encouraging to my mental state and pushed me to persevere.

During this season of life, my relationship with God and my mom became the only thing I could count on. I made it a point never to complain to anyone else, but I really questioned why God would put me through this. I didn’t understand why I was having to endure so much. The night that the Dr told me I would never compete again, I told my mom that I believed that God could do more than this Dr knew. And even though I may not ever be a college athlete, or a level 10, or go to nationals, no matter what, I wanted to prove them wrong and compete again. I had to be back on that floor someday. She 100 percent encouraged my tenacity. I also thanked her for instilling me that my identity was in the Lord and not gymnastics.

The week of my scheduled surgery at Vanderbilt, my parents and I just didn’t have peace about this procedure. The Vanderbilt Dr had told me I would have some pretty nasty scars and he wanted to do multiple surgeries over several years, and reiterated that I would never be a gymnast again. That very day, a friend of my cousin called them out of the blue and she mentioned that I was having this surgery. He immediately told them he had to talk to my mom. He too had this incredibly rare condition and had to have the surgery. He called my mom and told her of all of his knowledge about this really specialized surgery and that there were only 6 surgeons in America that were specialized in this area. He personally connected us with Dr Pearl out of Texas, who changed my life. A few months later, we flew to TX to have my surgery. I had my top rib removed, my scalene muscle removed, and my pec minor muscle released. Dr Pearl not only cured me of my horrific, chronic pain, but he also encouraged me to persevere and get back to the sport I love! He gave me hope.

This began the long road to recovery. Lots of PT and slowly easing into basic life skills. A few months after surgery I was able to do my first handstand again. Eventually a flip, a back handspring. It was like starting all over from the beginning with my skills. Instead of getting frustrated, I channeled all of that into gratitude. Every failed attempt at a skill was just motivation to keep going. I tried not to get hung up on who I was before the surgery, but to focus on overcoming obstacles and competing again. Even if I was in last place, even if I didn’t win any medals, no matter what I just wanted to compete in the sport I loved. On November 1, 2024 I competed in my first competition since my injury. Not only did I compete with no pain, but I also received the highest All-around score I had ever gotten – a personal record and first place. This summer I will compete in my first-ever national competition and represent the southeastern division of AAU for the state of Tennessee.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My journey has definitely not been smooth. Chronic pain is just that; it’s chronic. So, being in pain constantly not only changes how you feel but also how you think. When you’re a teenager, your peers don’t understand chronic pain. I withdrew a lot from friends, and often, they didn’t understand why I couldn’t do the regular things everyone else did. I remember being on a trip with my show choir, and I could not sleep with the other girls in their room because the pain would get so horrific in my sleep that it would wake me up in a panic. I had to sleep with my mom for months so she could be there when I woke up to soothe me and rub my shoulders. She even had to wash my hair for months because I got to I couldn’t raise my arm above my head. Some people made fun of me and just assumed my mom was a helicopter mom and I was just being a baby, it was really difficult to be teased about that since I didn’t want to complain and tell them how bad my pain was. People just assumed I wasn’t a nice person because I was not very personable. I was in pain and even though I tried to hide it, my face didn’t always do a great job of it.
It’s like there is this channel of your brain that is constantly committed to just continuing to move forward and persevere. To not complain constantly or make it all about you. The pain made it harder to concentrate on normal activities. It was very hard on me, not only physically but also emotionally.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am really passionate about being a gymnastics coach. I find so much joy in teaching others about the sport I love. I coach everything from pre-school classes to tumbling to competitive team. I spend a lot of time learning how to be a better coach and help my girls learn this sport. Most importantly, I want them to be physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually better for being in our gym. I am so proud of my girls when they win a medal, but I am most proud of them when I get to watch them overcome fear, push through hard times, and persevere. One of my young team girls had a very hard upbringing before being adopted and coming to our gym. She wouldn’t even talk to people at her church, especially on a stage. She was so afraid to go on the floor at our first competition. I talked to her about persevering and that sometimes we have to do things scared. She cried through her whole floor routine, but she did it! Then she ran off that floor and gave me the biggest hug and thanked me for encouraging her. She was proud of herself. She competed the entire season and even got first place at several competitions. Her family came to me after her last meet and told me they could not believe the changes in her personality. She had so much more confidence and maturity and they knew that gymnastics and having a coach that pushed her and believed in her helped her in more areas of her life. Those moments make me the most proud.

What were you like growing up?
Well, I am in the thick of it currently. I have always been a typical first-born who loves a good plan and responsibility. I don’t remember not having a strong work ethic. I work really hard in school and completed all of my high school courses by Freshman year so that I could start on my college courses. I love gymnastics, but I also learned throughout this season that I love to sing, I love musicals and musical theater, I love my show choir, I love to read, and I really love to travel! I have a nerdy love of civics and history, and I am pursuing a degree in law so that I can become an adoption attorney when I grow up.

Pricing:

• I coach private lessons for gymnast, dancers, cheerleaders, theater kids, boys tumbling etc. Pricing for that is $45 an hour and $30 for a half hour
• Our competition team program is $150 plus additional competition fees
• All of our recreational classes and tumbling are $60 a month

Contact Info:

• Website: https://redlilygymnastics.com
• Instagram: @lillianaleurs @redlilygymnastics
• Facebook: Lillianaleurs