Selena Gomez reveals kidney transplant in emotional Instagram post
Award-winning pop star and actress Selena Gomez revealed to her 126 million Instagram followers that she had a kidney transplant this summer. The 25-year-old shared news of the surgery on her account Thursday morning. She is the most followed person on Instagram.
Gomez said she needed a new kidney because of her lupus diagnosis and that her longtime friend and actress Francia Raisa was the donor. The post came amid her hectic schedule for New York's fashion week and explained why she was "laying low for part of the summer."
On Instagram, the singer said she needed the transplant for her "overall health" and thanked her "beautiful friend" for making the "ultimate gift and sacrifice."
Lupus is a disease that attacks the body's tissues and organs and is estimated to affect 1.5 million people each year. The singer first revealed her diagnosis of the chronic inflammatory disease in August of last year. In the post she provided a link to learn more about the disease.
At the time, Gomez said she was not alone and that she hoped others would be encouraged to address their own issues. Gomez posted Thursday that the disease continues to be very misunderstood but is encouraged by the progress being made.
"CBS This Morning" reached out to her team and they told us it was all in her post.