You might have noticed that Gabby Douglas was the only member of the U.S. Women’s Gymnastics Team’s Final Five (which includes Simone Biles, Laurie Hernandez, Madison Kocian and Aly Raisman) who didn’t make an appearance at the MTV VMAs on Sunday, Aug. 28. Douglas posted a picture of herself on Instagram recuperating from home after a medical emergency, and now we know what was up.
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“I had a complication from a prior injury that caused a cyst to grow on a bone in my mouth,” Douglas explained on Instagram next to a photo her in a dentist’s chair. Apparently, while her teammates were prepping to present Beyoncé with an award, Douglas was hospitalized for the infection that stemmed from the injury, which resulted in swelling. The gymnast also suffered adverse reactions from medication she was taking to treat the condition.
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In spite of the fact that Douglas won a gold medal in the team competition at the recent Rio Olympics, things weren’t exactly going smoothly for her before her dental emergency. In addition to people continuing to be jerks about how her hair and skin looked while she competed at the Olympics (are you kidding?), Douglas also got a tremendous amount of (ridiculous) flak when she didn’t put her hand on her heart during the playing of the U.S. National Anthem at a Rio medal ceremony. Douglas took to social media to clarify things: “I always stand at attention out of respect for our country whenever the national anthem is played,” she wrote on Twitter. “I never meant any disrespect and apologize if I offended anyone.” Here’s hoping that the gross bullies back off Douglas, and that her health improves quickly. She’s a national treasure, after all.
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Were you disappointed not to see Douglas at the VMAs? Tell us in the comments.
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