Photography by Getty

Selena Gomez Opens Up About Kidney Transplant on Today Show

Date October 30, 2017

Selena Gomez made headlines last month after posting an Instagram of her friend Francia Raisa and herself laying on hospital beds, holding hands. The heartfelt post provided an update on the 25-year-old singer’s life: Turns out she had been laying low for the summer as she was undergoing a kidney transplant due to her lupus—an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation in one or more parts of the body. In the post, Selena wrote that Francia had donated a kidney to her, and promised fans she would be sharing more details soon.

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

A post shared by Selena Gomez (@selenagomez) on Sep 14, 2017 at 3:07am PDT

True to her word, Selena appeared with Francia on NBC’s Today Show to discuss the experience. “It was really life or death,” Selena told Today‘s Savannah Guthrie. “It’s really hard to think about or even swallow.” Here, everything you need to know.

Francia said writing up the will to donate her kidney was scary
Francia, an actress and good friend who had been living with Selena at the time, said that writing up the will to donate her kidney was scary. “There’s no guarantee you’ll wake up.” She also revealed that her mother didn’t want to be there until she woke up. “Your family wasn’t even sure, when you told your mom she was like ‘What are you doing?” Selena said.

Selena had to undergo a second surgery right after
After waking up two hours post-surgery, Selena began to experience a lot of pain and started hyperventilating. According to the doctors, her kidney was turning around in her body and that she’d have to go back into surgery. “I was freaking out,” she said. “It was a 6-hour surgery that they had to do on me, and the normal kidney process is 2 hours. Apparently one of the arteries had flipped.”

Feliz cumpleaños a mi hermana, My forever friend ❤️

A post shared by Francia Raísa (@franciaraisa) on Jul 22, 2017 at 9:09pm PDT

It was a humbling experience for the pair
“It was hard because you constantly had to ask for help,” Francia revealed. “I think one of the most humbling experiences was needing help to put on underwear. We couldn’t take showers by ourselves.”

There’s a 3 to 5 per cent chance that Selena’s lupus will come back
Now that she has a new kidney, Selena stated that there’s a 3 to 5 per cent chance that her lupus will come back. “My arthritis has gone away. My blood pressure is better. My energy, my life has been better.”

Check out the full clip below: