'DWTS' champ Laurie Hernandez opens up about the pain of losing her grandmother to Alzheimer's

— -- Olympic gold medal gymnast and "Dancing With the Stars" champion Laurie Hernandez opened up about the pain of losing her grandmother to Alzheimer’s in 2016, as well as her newfound mission to raise awareness about the disease that robbed her of more time with her beloved "Yaya."

Hernandez described her late grandmother, Brunilda Hernandez, who she called her “Yaya,” as a “pretty good cook” with a “very big heart.”

"My grandma was definitely a little firecracker, she had a lot of energy, she was definitely very loud," the teenage Olympian told ABC News. "That was my favorite part about her."

"We were very, very, very, close,” the gymnast added. "Growing up, my parents, they both worked pretty early in the morning, so when I would get ready for school she was the one who would do my hair, and make breakfast."

Hernandez recalled how painful it was for her and her family to watch their beloved Yaya’s descent into Alzheimer’s, a chronic degenerative disease with no cure.

"She was kind of the life of the house, so to see her a little bit different, and asking the same questions over and over again,” Hernandez said. “Nobody is ever really used to that."

The 17-year-old, who already has two Olympic medals and one "Dancing with the Stars'" Mirrorball Trophy under her belt, said her grandmother "definitely played a big role" in forming her career.

"She was the one to say, ‘Whatever you love, go and do it, don't let anyone tell you not to.”

"I remember coming up to her when I was little and saying, 'Grandma, I'm shorter than all of the kids in my class,'" Hernandez told ABC News. "She said, 'the best perfumes come in the smallest bottles,' and I remember giggling."

"Looking back, that was something I held onto, that I didn’t realize," Hernandez added.

Hernandez said that her grandmother started losing her memory right as her encouragement and support for her granddaughter began to pay off at the Rio Olympics.

“The people that were taking care of her had created a little book of my accomplishments, so in case she had forgot, she could kind of see,” Hernandez said. “Knowing that she had that book with her means a lot me… and to her as well.”

Brunilda Hernandez died of the disease in November 2016, while her granddaughter was in the midst of competing on “Dancing With the Stars.” On the show, Hernandez broke down on stage following her semi-finals performance, which came shortly after learning about her grandmother's death.

"That was the week that I found out that she had passed. I had flown home and my parents sat me down," Hernandez said. "I figured they were going to say that she was really sick or that she doesn’t look well."

"I don’t think I actually cried, I was just in shock, I don’t think the information processed until a few days later, I broke down," she added. “At least I got to dance through it.”

Hernandez said she’s now making it her mission to help raise awareness and find a cure for the disease that took her grandmother from her.

"I didn’t realize until after my grandma had passed how many people are affected by Alzheimer's -- it’s a lot more than you, or me, or anyone, would think," Hernandez, who is partnering with the Alzheimer's Association this June, for Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness month said. "When you hear that and you hear that Alzheimer's doesn't have a cure yet, that’s why it’s important for me to raise awareness."

Hernandez said her life has changed dramatically since winning gold in Rio during the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.

“It’s been a complete 180 honestly,” she said. “I am doing a lot of travelling now. I got to appear on Disney’s ‘Stuck in the Middle.’”

The Olympian said she hopes to get back to her gymnastics training within the next few months.

“I’ll ease my way back into it by the end of the summer,” she said. “At the same time, I think my body and my brain really needed a break.”