Two years ago, actress and singer Selena Gomez revealed that her 2014 rehabilitation treatment was a part of her lupus diagnosis. Since the diagnosis, she’s undergone chemotherapy treatment, taken an absence from the spotlight to focus on her health, and has received harsh criticism for her weight fluctuations as result of the disease.
And while lupus and the extent of the disease is mischaracterized and misunderstood, Gomez’s latest Instagram post about her health is helping contextualize and bring more awareness to the disease.
On Thursday, Gomez shared a series of photos about a kidney transplant she underwent as result of her diagnosis. Gomez wrote that she had been in recovery over the “past several months,” and was eager to share her journey with fans.
In one photo she and her friend Francia Raisa, known for her roles in Bring It On: All or Nothing and Netflix‘s Dear White People, hold hands while laying in separate hospital beds. Gomez thanked Raisa for being her kidney donor and said she was incredibly blessed for receiving this gift and sacrifice from her friend.
In two other photos, Gomez shared images of her surgery scar, spanning from her lower stomach to above her right hip, and her weight change as a result of the disease. Concluding her post, Gomez directed followers to the Lupus Research Alliance website, and signed off with the phrase, “by grace through faith,” a reference to the Bible passage Ephesians 2:8 on salvation.
“…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,” Gomez wrote. “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.”
H/T TMZ
