Lupus sufferer Selena Gomez conveyed her warm wishes this Wednesday to people battling the condition across the world as she marked National Kidney Month.
The 30-year-old pop star re-posted an Insta Story from the Lupus Research Alliance and wrote: ‘Sending love to all the Lupus Warriors,’ captioned Selena. ‘Thank YOU @lupusresearchalliance for all of the tireless work you do.’
She first revealed she was suffering from lupus in 2015, shooting down the conjecture around a hiatus she had recently taken from showbiz.
Last week she showered praise on her ‘best friend’ Francia Raisa for donating a kidney to her in 2017, saving Selena’s life amid her lupus struggle.
Their bond has had its ups and downs, including a vicious feud last year after Selena named Taylor Swift as her ‘only friend in the industry.’
Regards: Lupus sufferer Selena Gomez conveyed her warm wishes this Wednesday to people battling the condition across the world as she marked National Kidney Month.
‘Sending love to all the Lupus Warriors’: The 30-year-old pop star re-posted an Insta Story from the Lupus Research Alliance commemorating National Kidney Month
Side by side: Last week she showered praise on her ‘best friend’ Francia Raisa for donating a kidney to her in 2017; they are pictured later that year
However in a possible signal that they have mended fences, Selena waxed rhapsodic about Francia on a new episode of the Apple TV+ series Dear….
‘I will never, ever, ever be more in debt to a person than Francia,’ said Selena, who needed the transplant because of her battle with lupus. ‘The idea of someone not even second-guessing to be a donor was unbelievably overwhelming.’
She announced the transplant on Instagram in 2017 with a heartwarming snap of her and Francia holding hands as they lay in side-by-side hospital beds.
During the new episode of Dear…, Selena revealed that Francia herself insisted on getting tested to see if she was able to donate her kidney.
‘So within three days she went to go do it and she was a match, and it was one of those moments where I felt watched over,’ Selena recalled.
‘I know I was so, so, so lucky,’ she acknowledged. ‘I understand that that doesn’t happen for a lot of people and I know the outcome of some of those situations and how serious they are. So I do not take it lightly that it’s happened to me that way.’
The two women then procured matching tattoos of the date the transplant occurred, cementing their connection as lifelong friends.
Remember when: She announced the transplant on Instagram in 2017 with a heartwarming snap of her and Francia holding hands as they lay in side-by-side hospital beds
Longtime pals: During the new episode of Dear…, Selena revealed that Francia herself insisted on getting tested to see if she was able to donate her kidney
Francia, an actress, first became acquainted with Selena in 2007 when they were teenagers and they instantly developed a tight rapport.
When Selena’s life was in danger amid her battle with lupus, Francia unhesitatingly came to her rescue and relinquished one of her kidneys.
Francia later revealed on Harry Connick Jr’s talk-show that she had a brutal recovery, to the point she ‘couldn’t do anything active’ for two months besides ‘walk.’
A year after the transplant, Selena was spotted partying with friends at the Four Seasons in New York and indulging in alcohol.
Rumors flew that Francia was incensed by Selena’s ‘unhealthy choices,’ resulting in an explosive confrontation between the two women.
Then in October 2018, one month after Selena’s ex Justin Bieber got married to Hailey Baldwin, Selena allegedly suffered a breakdown connected to her lupus.
She promptly entered treatment for her mental health, whereupon she and Francia reportedly repaired their friendship.
However tension flared up between them again last year when Selena released an Apple TV+ documentary called My Mind And Me in which she extensively discussed her health problems but neglected to mention Francia even once.
Backdrop: Selena and Francia’s bond has had its ups and downs, including a vicious feud last year after Selena named Taylor Swift as her ‘only friend in the industry’
Adding insult to injury, she gave an interview to Rolling Stone where she said her ‘only friend in the industry really’ was Taylor Swift.
Francia remarked: ‘Interesting,’ on Instagram and made her feelings clear by unfollowing Selena on the social media platform.
When a TikTok account posted a video about the bust-up between the old pals, Selena snidely commented: ‘Sorry I didn’t mention every person I know.’
In a TikTok comment that went instantly viral last month, Selena notably referred to Taylor rather than Francia as her ‘best friend.’
