text: Selena Gomez Underwent Kidney Transplant Best Friend Donor 
   
   Selena Gomez Underwent Kidney Transplant, Donor Best Friend Francia Raisa 
   
   Selena Gomez underwent a kidney transplant this summer, and the donor was her best friend. 
   
   Selena posted this pic post-surgery of her and kidney donor Francia Raisa. She said, "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." 
   
   Selena goes on ... "So I found out I need to get a kidney transplant due to my Lupus and was recovering. It was what I needed to do for my overall health." 
   
   And then she thanks her friend ... "There aren't words to describe how I can possibly thank my beautiful friend Francia Raisa. She gave me the ultimate gift." ||||| Our general interest e-newsletter keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics. 
   
   Definition By Mayo Clinic Staff 
   
   Lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease that occurs when your body's immune system attacks your own tissues and organs. Inflammation caused by lupus can affect many different body systems — including your 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. The most distinctive sign of lupus — a facial rash that resembles the wings of a butterfly unfolding across both cheeks — occurs in many but not all cases of lupus. 
   
   Some people are born with a tendency toward developing lupus, which may be triggered by infections, certain drugs or even sunlight. While there's no cure for lupus, treatments can help control symptoms. 
   
   
   
   ||||| Selena Gomez has been given the gift of life from her best friend. 
   
   The 25-year-old singer revealed that the reason she quietly stepped back from her career over the summer was because she was recovering from a kidney transplant. 
   
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   “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,” Gomez captioned the Instagram post. “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.” 
   
   Selena Gomez Instagram 
   
   The “Hands to Myself” singer also shared that the donor was her longtime pal Francia Raisa, an actress best known for her role in The Secret Life of the American Teenager. 
   
   Gomez shared a photo of the friends holding hands from their hospital beds as well as photos of her stomach following the surgery. 
   
   “There aren’t words to describe how I can possibly thank my beautiful friend Francia Raisa,” said Gomez. “She gave me the ultimate gift and sacrifice by donating her kidney to me. I am incredibly blessed. I love you so much sis.” 
   
   Selena Gomez Instagram 
   
   Selena Gomez/Instagram 
   
   In an October 2015 interview with Billboard, Gomez revealed that she was diagnosed with lupus and was undergoing chemotherapy for the autoimmune disease. 
   
   In August 2016, Gomez took a career break after suffering from “anxiety, panic attacks and depression” due to her lupus diagnosis. 
   
   “As many of you know, around a year ago I revealed that I have lupus, an illness that can affect people in different ways. I’ve discovered that anxiety, panic attacks and depression can be side effects of lupus, which can present their own challenges,” she said in an exclusive statement to PEOPLE. 
   
   “I want to be proactive and focus on maintaining my health and happiness and have decided that the best way forward is to take some time off. Thank you to all my fans for your support. You know how special you are to me, but I need to face this head on to ensure I am doing everything possible to be my best. I know I am not alone by sharing this, I hope others will be encouraged to address their own issues.” 
   
   RELATED VIDEO: Selena Gomez Taking Time Off After Dealing with ‘Anxiety, Panic Attacks and Depression’ Due to Her Lupus Diagnosis 
   
   Gomez told Billboard in December 2016 that she decided to go public with her diagnosis because she wanted to be an advocate for the disease. 
   
   “I waited for the right time to talk about it because I am in a great place, and I’m very healthy,” she said. “I’m not trying to be loud about it: It was time to use my platform to help.” ||||| Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window) 
   
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   Selena Gomez has a new kidney from a longtime friend. 
   
   “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,” the “Bad Liar” singer wrote on Instagram Thursday. “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.” 
   
   Gomez, 25, thanked her doctors, family, friends and medical personnel for their care, but her biggest gratitude was for her best friend, dancer and actress Francia Raisa, who actually donated her kidney. 
   
   “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,” the former Disney star gushed. “I am incredibly blessed. I love you so much sis.” 
   
   Gomez has been open about her struggle with the autoimmune disease before. In October 2015, she revealed that she underwent chemotherapy to treat the illness, and she took a break from the spotlight to go to a Tennessee rehabilitation center in August 2016 to deal with anxiety and depression reportedly caused by her lupus. ||||| Why us? 
   
   Our funding is leading to key discoveries that are improving diagnosis and therapies, while enabling researchers to find the way toward prevention and ultimately a cure for lupus.
target: – TMZ has the scoop on why Selena Gomez was largely absent from the public eye over the summer—and it didn't have anything to do with Justin Bieber or any other petty drama that TMZ is often known for exposing. The singer revealed Thursday morning via an Instagram post that she hadn't been out promoting her new music because she was healing after a kidney transplant, which was necessitated by her lupus. The kidney donor shown holding hands with Gomez from their hospital beds in the accompanying pic: Francia Raisa, deemed Gomez's "best friend" by TMZ and other outlets. "There aren't words to describe how I can possibly thank my beautiful friend Francia Raisa," Gomez wrote. "She gave me the ultimate gift and sacrifice by donating her kidney to me." BuzzFeed and People note Gomez has been open in the past about her struggle with the chronic autoimmune disease, which can result in the inflammation of different organs, including the kidneys. That openness carried through on Instagram, where the 25-year-old not only posted the pic of herself and Raisa, but also a couple of images showing her post-surgery, including the scar she now sports across her abdomen. Gomez also included a link to the Lupus Research Alliance for those interested in more information about this "misunderstood" disease. "I am incredibly blessed," Gomez wrote on Instagram, adding to Raisa: "I love you so much sis."