According to recent reports, Justin Bieber wanted to get back together with Selena Gomez last year after he realized that he nearly lost his ex to a kidney transplant.
The dangerous procedure made Bieber realize just how much Selena truly meant to him.
But was Justin aware of just how close we all came to truly losing Selena?
Forever?!?
In a new interview with W Magazine, Francia Raisa opens up about the unique donation she made to her best friend last summer.
The actress, who currently stars on Grown-ish, actually gave Gomez her kidney, following complications from Selena’s Lupus diagnosis that caused this organ of her to shut down.
Shortly after news of this procedure went public, Raisa said she didn’t even think twice about the life-saving gift, stating simply and admirably:
“I am beyond grateful that God would trust me with something that not only saved a life, but changed mine in the process.”
Pretty incredible, right?
Now, meanwhile, Raisa is sharing new details about the surgery, specifically about how Selena nearly died as a result of the very serious ordeal.
“Recovery was hard,” Raisa tells W. “I didn’t want to eat, I didn’t want to drink anything.”
From there, the actress revealed shocking and upsetting information about Gomez, something we had notpreviously heard in regard to her kidney transplant:
“Selena did have a complication, too. A few hours after our surgery, I woke up and had a text from her that said, ‘I’m really scared.’ My kidney was very active, and when it turned I broke an artery.
“They had to take her into emergency surgery and get a vein from her leg and build a new artery to keep my kidney in place.
“She could have died.”
Wow.
What else is there to say, but… wow.
Selena has talked here and there about the exhaustion she sometimes experiences as a result of her Lupus.
It has caused her to cancel a few concerts and to take a few breaks from the spotlight on occasion.
But she didn’t make public just how serious the illness had become last year, remaining silent about the kidney transplant until after it was successful and both she and Raisa were on a path to recovery.
At that time, she posted the following picture (which has been Liked over 10 million times) and wrote the following lengthy caption…
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.
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.
Gomez did briefly touch on this complication in her chat with Savannah Guthrie in October of 2017, telling the Today anchor at the time:
“It was a six-hour surgery that they had to do on me, and the normal kidney process is actually two hours. Apparently, one of the arteries had flipped.
“I’m very thankful that there are people that know what to do in that situation.”
Still, we had no idea Selena nearly died as a result.
We’re ever so grateful that she survived.