Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Unlikely HeroesSelena Gomez and her friend Francia Raisa are opening up about the kidney transplant that saved Selena’s life.
The two gave their first joint interview to NBC’s Savannah Guthrie, which aired Monday morning on the Today show.
Francia described the day she found out just how sick Selena really was. “One day she came home, and she was emotional. I hadn’t asked anything. I knew that she hadn’t been feeling well,” Francia said. “She couldn’t open a water bottle one day and she chucked it and just started crying.”
That’s when Selena told Francia she was in need of a donor, and the wait list was seven to 10 years long. Francia immediately volunteered to get tested and found out she was a match.
When the day of the surgery came, Francia tolerated it without any issues, but Selena soon began experiencing complications. The new kidney was shifting inside her body and she had to go back into surgery.
“I was freaking out. It was a six-hour surgery that they had to do on me, and the normal kidney process is actually two hours,” Selena said. “Apparently one of the arteries had flipped. I’m very thankful that there are people who know what to do in that situation.”
Selena and Francia both say the road to recovery was difficult. Now, though, Selena’s health has changed for the better.
“As soon as I got the kidney transplant, my arthritis went away,” Selena said. “My lupus — there’s about a three-to-five-percent chance it’ll ever come back. My blood pressure is better. My energy, my life has been better.”
Selena and Francia said they hope that by speaking out about their experience, they’ll raise awareness and help others in similar situations.
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