Five years ago, Selena Gomez was diagnosed with the auto-immune disease lupus.
On NBC’s Today show, the “Bad Liar” singer detailed her painful journey, which included getting a kidney transplant.
“I didn’t realise how much it was affecting my body,” she shared. “I would get fevers, headaches. I would get fatigued. But I always just kept going.”
In 2014 and 2016, she had to cancel tours and check into rehab to deal with anxiety and depression. She also underwent chemotherapy for treatment.
However, the disease had affected her kidneys, and were it not for the transplant, she would have required dialyses.
She had her family tested and none of the members matched.
Roommate and actress Francia Raisa, who was in the dark on her friend’s situation, recounted that Gomez came home “emotional.” “She couldn’t open a water bottle one day. She chucked it and she started crying.”
Gomez said, “She (Raisa) lived with me in this interesting time where my kidneys were just done… The thought of asking somebody to do that was really difficult for me”
After finding out that lupus had caused Gomez to have arthritis, Raisa offered her own kidney without hesitation.
Raisa immediately set to taking the necessary psychological and physical tests in one day, when normally the process would take six months. She was a perfect match, which Gomez described as “unbelievable.”
During the day of the surgery, the singer-songwriter said she wanted them to feel “good,” and they had their hair done in braids and binged on food together.
Raisa said there was fear before the procedure, though she felt calm after. “I had to write a will which was scary because there’s no guarantee that you’ll wake up.”
She shared, “My mom didn’t wanna be there until I woke up. She loves Selena so she was torn.”
After the transplant, Selena had to get a second six-hour surgery when her body reacted negatively; her kidney was turning around in her body.
She recalled feeling pain where her new kidney was. “My teeth were grinding, I was freaking out.”
She has since been recovering and has felt her health restored. “My arthritis went away. My lupus, there’s about a three to five per cent chance it will ever come back. My blood pressure is better. My life, my energy is better.”
“I don’t think what we went through was easy. I don’t think it was fun,” said Gomez in tears. “I hope this inspires people to know that there are good people in the world.”
