Selena Gomez, pictured on April 27, 2017, has revealed in an Instagram post that she had a kidney transplant. Photo / AP
Selena Gomez, pictured on April 27, 2017, has revealed in an Instagram post that she had a kidney transplant. Photo / AP
A smiling Selena Gomez looked the picture of health as she stepped out in New York yesterday after revealing she had a secret kidney transplant.
The 25-year-old was spotted on the set of her next project, an untitled Woody Allen film, alongside co-star Timothee Chalamet.
But just hours before she revealed she spent the summer recovering from a kidney transplant that she had as part of her battle with lupus. She was also hospitalised in May after suffering kidney failure while on the transplant list.
She also posted two other photos, including one of her surgical scar.
In an emotional statement, the former Disney star 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. 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.
Gomez on set yesterday in New York. Photo / Getty
Selena Gomez is currently shooting a film with Woody Allen in New York City. Photo / Getty
"Until then 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. Lupus continues to be very misunderstood but progress is being made."
Raisa is a 29-year-old model and actress from Los Angeles, who is the daughter of radio personality Renan Coello.
She has been friends with Gomez since 2008, and has paid tribute to their bond in past Instagram posts.
In one from 2016, uploaded on as Gomez turned 24, she wrote: "I am obsessed with every memory we've built in the last 8 years and the ones we have yet to create.
"I am so grateful that God put you in my life when he did... I learn so much from you and I'm so so so proud of you."
Raisa made her acting debut in 2005 in an episode of action show Over There - and made her film debut in the 2006 film Bring It On: All or Nothing.
She has also appeared on the US show The Secret Life of the American Teenager - and in 2017 had a role in the critically acclaimed Netflix show, Dear White People.
Gomez shared an image of the surgery scar on her Instagram post about the kidney transplant.
In her own Instagram post, Gomez also added a link to the Lupus Research Alliance website, encouraging her followers to look into the condition.
The star has been vocal about her battle with the autoimmune disease, putting her money where her mouth is in May 2016 as she announced plans to donate proceeds from ticket sales of her Revival tour to Alliance for Lupus Research.
However, just months later, she was forced to pull out of the international tour because of health concerns.
Gomez previously had to cancel her Stars Dance tour in 2013 to undergo chemotherapy treatment for the chronic inflammatory disease.
Selena Gomez, left, and Abel Tesfaye, known professionally as The Weeknd, attend the Harper's BAZAAR 'Icons by Carine Roitfeld' party at The Plaza Hotel on Friday, September 8, 2017. Photo / AP
It wasn't until October 2015 that she spoke out for the first time about her struggles with the disease, sharing details of her chemotherapy with Billboard in an interview.
When Gomez announced she was cancelling the Asian and Australian leg of her tour, sources claimed she may have lupus, but others suggested she had issues with addiction.
"I wanted so badly to say, 'You guys have no idea. I'm in chemotherapy. You're a**holes'," she told Billboard. "I locked myself away until I was confident and comfortable again."
Gomez revealed that being the subject of relentless gossip while she was going through treatment proved to be hurtful - and subsequently made her angry.
"I'm so f***ing nice to everybody and everyone is so vile to me," she told Billboard. "I've been working since I was 7. I've been a Unicef ambassador since I was 17. It's so disappointing that I've become a tabloid story."
Gomez pictured with her partner in an Instagram post.
What is lupus?
Lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease that occurs when the body's immune system attacks its own tissues and organs.
Inflammation caused by lupus can affect many different body systems - including the joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, brain, heart and lungs.
Lupus can be difficult to diagnose because its signs and symptoms often mimic those of other ailments, and no two cases of lupus are exactly alike.
In the US, 240,000 people have been diagnosed with lupus, and it is estimated to affect around 15,000 people in the UK. In New Zealand, it affects 1 in 900 people, according to the Lupus Trust of New Zealand.
The signs and symptoms a person experiences will depend on which body systems are affected by the disease.
