Things aren’t always as they may seem.
Despite releasing new music a few months ago and gracing the cover of Vogue, Selena Gomez seemingly disappeared by the the end of the summer. As it turns out, the 25-year-old pop star had been secretly battling yet another major health issue.
On Thursday night, Gomez shared her reasons for withdrawing from the spotlight. "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," she wrote in a heart-wrenching 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."
Gomez also revealed that the donor was her longtime friend Francia Raisa, who's best known for starring in The Secret Life of the American Teenager. The "Bad Liar" singer also shared several photos with her fans to explain how her medical journey has been so far.
"There aren’t words to describe how I can possibly thank my beautiful friend Francia Raisa," wrote 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."
Gomez has always been very forthright about her struggles with lupus and how the illness has effected her both mentally and physically. In fact, she went public with her Lupus diagnosis in 2015 to use her platform to advocate and raise awareness 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. I’m not trying to be loud about it: It was time to use my platform to help," Gomez stated in a previous interview.
