Selena Gomez is giving a big shout out to those living with lupus.
In honor of National Kidney Month, the singer and actress — who announced her lupus diagnosis in October 2015 — shared a post from the Lupus Research Alliance on her Instagram Story Wednesday.
“Sending love to all the Lupus warriors,” the 30-year-old wrote. “Thank YOU @lupusresearchalliance for all of the tireless work you do????.”
Gomez has been open with fans about her diagnosis and the way it’s impacted her health over the years.
According to the Mayo Clinic, the condition can cause inflammation affecting a person’s “joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, brain, heart, and lungs.” Because there is currently no cure for the disease, up to 60% of people with lupus will develop kidney complications, the Lupus Foundation of America says on their website.
In 2017, the Only Murders in the Building star received a kidney transplant from her best friend and Grown-ish star Francia Raisa when she struggled with life-threatening health issues due to her lupus.
While appearing on the latest episode of Apple TV+’s documentary series Dear …, Gomez reflected on the transplant.
“My best friend. Her name is Francia. She said, ‘No, I am absolutely getting tested,'” recalled Gomez as she spoke about her journey with the autoimmune disease. “And within three days, she went to get tested, and she was a match. And it was one of those moments where I felt watched over. I know I was so so so lucky.”
She continued, “I understand that that doesn’t happen for a lot of people, and I know the outcome of some of those situations and how serious they are, so I do not take it lightly that it’s happened to me that way.”
The decision, added Gomez, has made her “in debt” to Raisa.
“I will never ever, ever be more in debt to a person than Francia,” she added. “The idea of someone not even second-guessing to be a donor was unbelievably overwhelming.”
In March 2021, nearly four years after she received her friend’s kidney, the “Lose You to Love Me” singer reposted a thread written by Raisa in honor of World Kidney Day.
“If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that I’ve kept my kidney donation process pretty private,” Raisa wrote on Twitter, alongside a photo of herself in the hospital. “However, I think I’ve gotten to a point in my life where I feel comfortable and confident in speaking about my experience and using my platform to raise awareness for the various kidney diseases that affect our population.”
She continued, “So, in honor of World Kidney Day, let’s talk about the impact of kidney disease and how we can work to ensure those living with kidney disease are living well.”
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