Selena Gomez Recalls the Moment Her Lupus Treatment Became ‘Life-or-Death’
Her kidney transplant was "the ultimate gift of life," she says.
By Evelyn Wang
Although Selena Gomez is doing "quite well now," she says at one point that her lupus was literally a matter of "life-or-death."
Just a day after performing for the first time in over a year at the 2017 AMAs, Gomez was honored at the Lupus Research Alliance's Breaking Through Gala on Monday night. In September, Gomez helped raise almost $500,000 for lupus research through her appeals to fans via social media, following a kidney transplant.
The pop star delivered a heartfelt speech about her own diagnosis and the need to raise awareness about the autoimmune disease. "I am really honored to be here with all of you guys tonight, my lupus community," she began, according to People. "As many of you know or might not know, I was diagnosed with lupus about five or six years ago."
"I've been speaking out about my situation to raise awareness about the disease,” Gomez continued. "After undergoing so many tests to monitor my kidneys, my doctors told me I have lupus nephritis, one of those complications from lupus. They said I would be needing a kidney transplant."
Lupus is an autoimmune disease, meaning it causes your body's immune system to attack your own organs. A diagnosis of lupus nephritis indicates that the condition is affecting your kidneys, which can lead to kidney failure. At that point, the National Institute of Health explains, kidney dialysis or a transplant are often required.
Earlier this year, Gomez revealed that her best friend, Francia Raísa, volunteered to donate her kidney—and saved her life in the process.
But the path to get there—not wanting to ask anyone in her life, needing a donor who wasn't just willing but a match—was very challenging. "Maybe I wasn't necessarily really good at knowing what that meant, so it actually got to a point where it was life-or-death," Gomez said, according to E! News. "Thankfully, one of my best friends gave me her kidney and it was the ultimate gift of life. And I am doing quite well now."
She also thanked the doctors who performed her kidney transplant. "It feels good to actually be honoring people like you, or in my world, it could seem kind of vain, but this is really, really special," she said, according to E! News. "Not everyone is lucky enough to have a donor, and something as monumental as an organ transplant shouldn't be the best treatment option available."
Gomez concluded her speech by saying she hopes lupus research can eradicate the disease entirely in the future. "I'd like to see the day when all young women can realize their dreams of life without a lupus," she said. "This is why I am committed to the Lupus Research Alliance. So that none of us are alone, especially the young women that I have grown up with and heard many, many stories. I just want to say thank you and I hope we can do something for all of the younger people who need to know what this means."
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TopicsSelena Gomezlupusnews
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