In 2017 Selena Gomez's autoimmune condition, Lupus, became so severe that she required a kidney transplant. Her roommate and best friend at the time, Francia Raisa, stepped in and gave Selena the ultimate gift by donating one of her kidneys. The actress has been through so much over the past several years, that she has struggled with depression.
Selena Gomez’s Best Friend Gave Her a Kidney
Later that year, during their Today Show interview, Selena Gomez revealed that she couldn't ask anyone to sacrifice a kidney. But Francia volunteered after seeing Selena unable to do simple tasks like opening a water bottle. At the time, Selena said that the kidney transplant surgery was a matter of life or death for her.
Thankfully, the surgery went well, and both women have fully recovered from the transplant. Francia has proudly shown off her scars in bathing suit pics and crop tops over the past few years. But Selena, who required a second surgery after the initial transplant due to a complication, hasn't shared much about her scars since her original post until now.
Unlike Francia, Selena's scars aren't just on her stomach. During the Today Show interview, Selena revealed that she had a very scary post-operation experience when the kidney she had transplanted flipped inside her body. As a consequence, she had to go back in for another surgery.
Francia explained to W Magazine that when Selena's kidney turned, it broke an artery. She also explained why Selena has an additional scar on her leg, saying, "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."
Despite some serious complications, the surgeries were successful. Now, a few years later, Selena took Instagram to show off her kidney transplant leg scar for the first time and wrote about her progress with self-acceptance.
Accepting Her Scars
Selena shared a photo wearing a blue La'Mariette one piece and wrote, "When I got my kidney transplant, I remember it being very difficult at first showing my scar. I didn't want it to be in photos, so I wore things that would cover it up." She continued revealing that she's more confident now than ever and congratulated the co-founder of the bathing suit brand, Theresa Mingus, for making such inclusive swimwear. Selena said, "Now, more than ever, I feel confident in who I am and what I went through...and I'm proud of that. T - Congratulations on what you're doing for women, launching @lamariette whose message is just that...all bodies are beautiful."
Both fans and celebrities were quick to flood the comments of Selena's photo with love and support for proudly showing off her scar. 13 Reasons Why star Katherine Langford wrote, "Love you, lady, you're a strong one!"
Fans are glad Selena seems to be happier and healthier than ever. Her scars are genuinely a sign of bravery and strength.
Are Selena Gomez and Francia Raisa Still Friends?
There was a rumor that Selena Gomez and her kidney donor Francia Raisa had a bit of a falling-out post-surgery. Regarding the argument that caused problems between the two, a source told Radar Online that Francia was upset with Selena for drinking and making some decisions that weren't the best health-wise post-surgery.
However, Selena and Francia have made up, which became even more apparent thanks to Selena's Instagram post. Selena attended the Frozen 2 premiere with her little sister, where they stole the carpet with their matching looks.
Selena reflected on the night with an Instagram post where she captioned a slew of the image saying that she hopes she is the best big sister now. Just like everyone was living for Selena and her sweet little sister moment, so was Francia, and she let Selena know in the comment section of the post where she wrote, "OMG, My heart right now." Thanks to this comment, fans know that any issue Selena and Francia had is now in the past.
Selena Gomez Publicly Thanks Francia
The actress even celebrated this year's World Kidney Day by thanking Francia, saying she's "forever grateful" for her selfless donation in 2017. Francia also released a statement of her own. She took the opportunity to share her experience with fans to spread awareness.
Francia tweeted that she's seen the impact of kidney disease firsthand, so she shared links and resources with fans on "how can we work to ensure those living with kidney disease are living well." Shortly after Francia shared this series of tweets, Selena took to Twitter to reshare her friend's post, writing, "Thank you for blessing me. I am forever grateful to you."
Although there have been some questions about where Selena and Francia's friendship stands over the past few years, the singer made it very clear that she will forever be thankful to Francia. While Selena has also been fairly private about her kidney transplant experience, like Francia, she too has opened up more in recent months.
Fans are glad Selena and Francia are doing so well all these years after the transplant surgery.
