News feed
Selena Gomez has given her first interview since undergoing a kidney transplant in May, revealing the operation – and the friend that donated the organ – saved her life.
With her long-time friend and donor Francia Raisa sitting beside her, Gomez revealed her diagnosis was much more serious than the public realized.
“My kidneys were just done. That was it,” she said through tears in a teaser of the interview set to air on US network NBC next week as a two-part series.
“You feel that Francia saved your life?” –@savannahguthrie
“Because she did.” –@selenagomez pic.twitter.com/2C2tzIvz1S— TODAY (@TODAYshow) October 27, 2017
“I didn’t want to ask a single person in my life, and that was the day I came home and I found out. [Raisa] volunteered and did it.”
The 25-year-old didn’t hesitate when asked if Francia’s donation saved her life.
“She did. That’s it.
“I guess I got to the point where it was really, kind of, life or death.”
Last month Selena revealed on Instagram she’d undergone the procedure, posting a photo of her and Francia side-by-side hospital beds, and one of her post-surgery scar.
“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,” Selena wrote.
“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.”
Kidney damage is a common result of Lupus, an autoimmune disease in which the body’s own autoimmune cells attack healthy tissues and organs, like the kidneys.
Selena has been open about her battle with Lupus. Last year she called off her world tour to seek treatment for the anxiety and depression she has battled on and off, another side effect of Lupus. In 2014, she had chemotherapy to treat it.
Gomez will perform for the first time since the operation next month, taking the stage to sing her new single Wolves at the American Music Awards in Los Angeles.
