Entertainment

Selena Gomez ‘could have died’ following kidney transplant

Actress Francia Raisa donated a kidney to her friend, who suffers from lupus, last year.
Actress Francia Raisa donated a kidney to her friend, who suffers from lupus, last year. Actress Francia Raisa donated a kidney to her friend, who suffers from lupus, last year.

Selena Gomez could have died following her kidney transplant, her friend and organ donor has said.

Actress Francia Raisa, 29, donated a kidney to the 25-year-old, who suffers from lupus, last year.

Raisa told W magazine: “Recovery was hard … Selena did have a complication, too. A few hours after our surgery, I woke up and had a text from her that said ‘I’m really scared’.

I’m very aware some of my fans had noticed I was laying low for part of the summer and questioning why I wasn’t promoting my new music, which I was extremely proud of. So I found out I needed to get a kidney transplant due to my Lupus and was recovering. It was what I needed to do for my overall health. I honestly look forward to sharing with you, soon my journey through these past several months as I have always wanted to do with you. Until then I want to publicly thank my family and incredible team of doctors for everything they have done for me prior to and post-surgery. And finally, there aren’t words to describe how I can possibly thank my beautiful friend Francia Raisa. She gave me the ultimate gift and sacrifice by donating her kidney to me. I am incredibly blessed. I love you so much sis. Lupus continues to be very misunderstood but progress is being made. For more information regarding Lupus please go to the Lupus Research Alliance website: www.lupusresearch.org/ -by grace through faith

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“My kidney was very active, and when it turned I broke an artery. They had to take her into emergency surgery and get a vein from her leg and build a new artery to keep my kidney in place. She could have died.”

She said of initially keeping the operation secret: “We didn’t want to tell anybody because recovery was very hard for us, and we went through a depression at the time.”

Raisa told of the moment she decided to donate, saying that Gomez “was asking me about my day and she grabbed a water bottle out of the fridge and tried to open it and couldn’t.

“Then she threw it on the floor, and she fell to the floor and started crying. I was like ‘What is wrong with you?’ She said ‘I need a new kidney. I don’t know what I’m going to do, the waitlist is seven to 10 years.’ And it just came out of me.”