<a href="https://vt.co/entertainment/people-think-justin-biebers-birthday-party-favors-were-a-swipe-at-selena-gomez" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Selena Gomez</a> has expressed her gratitude to Francia Raisa for donating a life-saving kidney to her six years ago. The 30-year-old former Disney Channel star has been making headlines recently after a tense back-and-forth between her and <a href="https://vt.co/entertainment/justin-bieber-fans-slammed-for-shouting-f-hailey-bieber-during-concert" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hailey Bieber</a> that resulted in her <a href="https://vt.co/entertainment/selena-gomez-announces-break-from-social-media-amid-hailey-bieber-drama-im-too-old-for-this" target="_blank" rel="noopener">taking a break from social media</a>. This was fueled by fans who claimed that the 26-year-old wife of Justin Bieber as well as Kylie Jenner made fun of Gomez after posting a picture of their <a href="https://vt.co/entertainment/kylie-jenner-and-hailey-bieber-have-lost-almost-a-million-followers-after-taunting-selena-gomez" target="_blank" rel="noopener">eyebrows</a> supposedly in response to the singer's TikTok video about her accidentally laminating her own brows too much. Nevertheless, the 'Love You Like A Love Song' singer eventually returned to social media and <a href="https://vt.co/entertainment/selena-gomez-pauses-social-media-break-to-beg-fans-to-be-kinder-amid-hailey-bieber-drama" target="_blank" rel="noopener">begged her fans to be "kind" amid all the drama</a>. Now, she has appeared on the latest episode of <a href="https://tv.apple.com/us/show/dear/umc.cmc.3bcp1uw2craeu8lbc53h7i205?mttn3pid=Google%20AdWords&mttnagencyid=a5e&mttncc=US&mttnsiteid=143238&mttnsubad=OUS2019817_1-439434830313-c&mttnsubkw=86997717068__hRBDtCsC_&mttnsubplmnt=">Apple TV+'s documentary series, Dear ...,</a> and reflected on receiving a kidney transplant from the 34-year-old Grown-ish star in 2017. Watch Gomez talk about Raisa below:  [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/OfficialSGnews/status/1634032874750980097]] The Only Murders in the Building star struggled with life-threatening health issues due to complications from lupus - which is a condition that can cause inflammation affecting a person's "joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, brain, heart, and lungs," per <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lupus/symptoms-causes/syc-20365789">Mayo Clinic</a>. Because there is currently no cure for the disease, up to 60 percent of people with it will develop kidney complications, the Lupus Foundation of America stated on its <a href="https://www.lupus.org/resources/kidney-transplant-for-lupus-your-essential-questions-answered">website</a>. Speaking about getting a second chance in Life, Gomez recalled her journey with the autoimmune disease and said: "My best friend. Her name is Francia. She said, 'No, I am absolutely getting tested.'" "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 revealed. The 'Same Old Love' singer 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 made her "in debt" to Raisa, she said, adding: "The idea of someone not even second-guessing to be a donor was unbelievably overwhelming." Since the life-changing donation, both women have received matching tattoos with the date of the kidney transplant. <img class="wp-image-1263199849 size-full" src="https://img.vt.co/2023/03/R8GBBK-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="1707" height="2560" />[[imagecaption|| Selena Gomez and Francia Raisa at the Billboard Women In Music 2017. Credit: Image Press Agency / Alamy]] The Monte Carlo actress also publicly thanked Raisa while accepting <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMrRN99DYKU">Billboard's 2017 Woman of the Year award</a> at their Women in Music event. Standing on stage with the Bring It On actress, an emotional Gomez said: "To be honest. I think Francia should be getting this award because she saved my life." However, the best friends were <a href="https://vt.co/entertainment/selena-gomezs-kidney-donor-responds-after-singer-said-her-only-real-industry-friend-is-taylor-swift" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rumored to be in a feud late last year</a> after the singer spoke to <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/selena-gomez-my-mind-and-me-documentary-new-music-only-murders-in-the-building-1234620268/">Rolling Stone magazine</a> and said that she doesn't have many famous friends and only listed Taylor Swift as an example of a close friendship. Raisa allegedly commented on an E! News Instagram post about the story, writing "interesting" and then later deleted it. Gomez <a href="https://vt.co/entertainment/selena-gomez-responds-after-not-mentioning-friend-who-donated-a-kidney-when-asked-about-industry-friends" target="_blank" rel="noopener">then responded to the backlash</a>, remarking: "Sorry I didn't mention every person I know." While it's unclear when the Rare Beauty founder's episode of the show was filmed, she made it obvious that she is thankful for the health journey she has been on with the actress. <h6>Featured image credit: Image Press Agency / Alamy</h6>

Selena Gomez praises Francia Raisa 6 years after kidney transplant

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