Olympian Laurie Hernandez Wishes She 'Had More Time' with Grandmother with Alzheimer's

Robert Trachtenberg for the Alzheimer's Association Laurie Hernandez

Olympic gold medalist Laurie Hernandez will never forget the mornings she would spend with her grandmother — walking back and forth to school, eating cereal at the breakfast table, grimacing as she would try to comb the kinky curls from her granddaughter's hair.

But most of all, Hernandez remembers the spirit of Brunilda Hernandez.

"My grandma was an absolute firehouse," Hernandez, 22, tells PEOPLE. "I called her 'Yeya.' She was very adamant about the things that she believed was right and she would fight for that, which also led her to be stubborn as hell. But she was always respectful, always loving. She cared so much for her entire family and just had so much love in her."

As Hernandez began to pursue a gymnastics career that would ultimately result in her becoming the first Latina to join the U.S. Women's Olympic Gymnastics team in over 30 years, the athlete says she always knew she could count on the support of one of her 'Yeya.'

Courtesy Laurie Hernandez Laurie and Brunilda Hernandez

"She always supported [me] and was curious about my gymnastics, and the times that she could come and watch practice, she would go," remembers Hernandez, who won a gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics as part of the famed "Final Five" when she was just 16 years old.

RELATED: Olympic Medalist Laurie Hernandez Accepted to NYU — Watch the Moment

"It wasn't often, but she did love watching. I think I really scared the life out of her doing some of the stuff I did," she adds, with a laugh. "I don't know how much she really wanted to watch."

Sadly, as Hernandez found herself at the pinnacle of her career, her family began noticing significant changes in her grandmother's memory and mood. And while her parents tried their best to shelter Hernandez from the reality her grandmother was dealing with, the Olympian says she also began noticing the changes.

Courtesy Laurie Hernandez Laurie and Brunilda Hernandez

"[My grandmother] would ask how my day was, and then a couple minutes later she would ask me how my day was again," Hernandez recalls. "She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, and she was kind of in the early stages, but she was also battling stomach cancer at the same time."

RELATED: Alzheimer's Patients and Caregivers Find Relief and Support in 'Memory Cafes'

In March of 2016, her grandmother was put into a nursing home with 24-hour care.

"Sometimes I look back on that time and there's a bit of a pit in my stomach because I wish I had more time to come home and spend with her," says Hernandez, who appeared on Dancing with the Stars shortly after her Olympic run. "Every time I was home, I was spending as much time as possible with her. I remember my mom creating a scrapbook with photos, news articles and all the things that were happening in my life, and whenever we would look at it together, it was new and exciting to her all over again."

In November of 2016, Hernandez lost her cherished grandmother at the age of 88. And from that moment on, she has found an emotional haven of sorts within the Alzheimer's Association, serving as a Celebrity Champion within the non-profit organization to use her story and her platform to raise Alzheimer's awareness.

Courtesy Laurie Hernandez Laurie and Brunilda Hernandez

"I think they're doing research that is going to change the lives of millions," says Hernandez of the Alzheimer's Association, which notes that more than 6 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's, with a disproportionate impact coming directly from the Hispanic community. "I'm glad that I can illuminate causes such as these."

Today, much of Hernandez' time is also spent in the classroom as she pursues a drama degree at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, where she still utilizes the physique that made her an American hero.

"I had a movement class today and then another class called Empowered Body and we did planks and then they had me do sprints," she laughs. "I don't get out of working out, that's for sure — life is really good."