Selena Gomez's kidney donor Francia Raisa reveals scary details about the operation
Sounds scary!
Last year pop star Selena Gomez shocked fans when she revealed she had a kidney transplant. The singer took to social media to share a photo of herself and her best friend Francia Raisa who donated her kidney to her, in hospital.
Now, Francia has revealed further scary details of the operation, saying her friend nearly died. Speaking to W magazine Francia told how when she woke up from surgery she received a message from Selena which said, 'I'm scared'.
She went on to explain how during Selena's operation one of her arteries had broken, and surgeons had to use a vein from her leg to build a new one, to keep Francia's donated kidney in place. "She could have died" Francia told the magazine.
The surgery, which should have taken three hours for each of them, ended up taking six hours for Selena due to the complications.
It was in September last year when Selena first broke the news about her operation, which she was forced to have after suffering with autoimmune disease Lupus.
Sharing a photo of herself and Francia holding hands in their hospital beds, the 25-year-old wrote, '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.'
She then went on to tell her fans she would be sharing her journey with them adding, '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.'
It was later revealed that the singer would be releasing a documentary about her health issues with a source telling In Touch, “She’s making a documentary about her health issues. Selena will talk about her journey, give viewers insight into lupus and clear up any misunderstandings."
Shortly after their operations Francia spoke out about her decision to help her friend. The brave actress, who starred in Bring It On: All or Nothing, took to Instagram to share the famous image of herself and Selena holding hands in their hospital beds.
Alongside the photo, Francia wrote, 'I am beyond grateful that God would trust me with something that not only saved a life, but changed mine in the process. This was part of our story, and we will share it soon, but what is important now is that this is not the only story. For more information regarding Lupus, please go to the Lupus Research Alliance website: www.lupusresearch.org -- Love you sis, so glad we’re on this journey together. ❤️ x'
A month later Selena and Francia then appeared on American TV to explain how the decision to have the transplant came about. Francia explained how she ultimately made the decision that would give the singer the gift of life.
With her kidneys shutting down and just weeks away from dialysis, Selena said "My mentality was just to keep going."
Francia then went on to explain how Selena came home one day and couldn't open a bottle of water. "She chucked it and she started crying. I said, ‘What's wrong?' and that's when she told me."
Francia continued, "She goes, ‘I don't know what to do. The donor list is seven to 10 years long.'"
Watch the interview below:
Selena is now making a good recovery and continues to release music. You can hear music from Selena including her collaboration with Marshmello 'Wolves' on Hits Radio.