Selena Gomez slams 'tasteless' kidney transplant jokes on TV shows (2024)

FAQs

How long will Selena Gomez's kidney last? ›

Gomez, who has been open about her mental and physical health struggles for years, revealed that a donated kidney will typically last about 30 years. "Which is fine," she told Rolling Stone.

However, since then the two have rekindled their friendship, including sharing birthday posts for each other and enjoying night outs. Francia has also made it clear that there was no feud between the two, but rather a gradual falling out. "We hadn't spoken much in six years.

Gomez was diagnosed with lupus in 2013

Gomez first went public with her health issues when she revealed that she'd been diagnosed with lupus two years prior in a 2015 interview with Billboard. The announcement came after she abruptly ended her 2013 tour to check herself into a rehab center to undergo treatment.

Gomez suffers from bipolar disorder and the autoimmune disease lupus. In 2015, she took a break from her career to deal with anxiety and depression stemming from her lupus diagnosis. Gomez also underwent a kidney transplant in 2017 – also a result of lupus.

Increased life expectancy with kidney transplant

With a deceased kidney donor transplant (a kidney from someone who is brain-dead), life expectancy increases to 30 years. Best of all, a living donor kidney transplant increases life expectancy to 40 years.

Gomez shared her lupus diagnosis in 2015 in an interview with Billboard magazine. It ultimately damaged her kidneys, and she needed a kidney transplant. Fortunately, in 2017, Gomez found a living organ donor: her friend (and fellow actor) Francia Raisa.

"We hadn't spoken much in six years. Especially the last year, we didn't speak at all," she told USA Today in December. "We've never really had beef with each other. Nothing happened, and if you ask either of us, we don't know what happened but we needed that time apart.

On top of that, the movie also stars Selena's family, friends and her bestie Raquelle Stevens. In the film, you see Selena and Raquelle's friendship first-hand and it doesn't shy away from the times Raquelle challenges Selena and the two of them argue.

Selena has discussed body image in the past and admitted in February 2023 that her weight often fluctuates due to the medication that she takes for Lupus. “[When I'm taking it], I tend to hold a lot of water weight and that happens very normally,” she explained.

Weight changes — Lupus can sometimes cause weight loss or weight gain. Weight loss may be unintentional and due to decreased appetite or problems with the digestive system (see 'Digestive system' below). It can also be a side effect of some medications used to treat lupus.

Can people with lupus have kids? ›

Most women with lupus are able to have a healthy baby, however sometimes complications can occur. That's why it's so important you plan your pregnancy and work closely with your healthcare team to ensure you're as healthy as possible before, during and after your pregnancy.

How does lupus affect hair? Many people with lupus have skin problems, like rashes or sores on the scalp, that can cause hair loss. Hair loss and thinning hair can also be side effects of certain medicines used to treat lupus, like steroids and immunosuppressives.

Early diagnosis, careful treatment, and constant monitoring may help 85–90% of people with lupus live a typical lifespan. According to a 2021 review , almost all global studies that included participants who started after 1990 report a 90% 10-year survival rate.

In some people, lupus will flare, become inactive (quiescent), and go into remission—this course of the disease may or may not occur regularly throughout their life. In other people, lupus will remain in a chronic (long-lasting) state of activity. Some people will have fairly frequent flares of illness.

Joint pain is common in lupus, especially in the small joints of the hands and feet. The pain often moves from joint to joint. Joint pain, swelling and stiffness can be the main symptoms for some people with lupus. In most cases, lupus is unlikely to cause permanent damage or change the shape of joints.

Selena Gomez and Francia Raisa reportedly had a friends tiff some time ago. Raisa, who had donated a kidney to Selena, was reportedly not too happy with the health rules the singer was following post surgery.

Why Gomez and Raísa stopped talking, and why they started again. Raísa confirms to TODAY.com that she and Gomez grew apart, but not because of the kidney transplant, as some fans speculated. Instead, Raísa says, their separation had to do with Gomez's 2022 documentary, "Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me."

Many recipients discover that their lupus nephritis symptoms improve dramatically following a kidney transplant. Immunosuppressants that reduce the risk of organ rejection also help curb lupus symptoms. While there is no cure for lupus, patients can enter remission, which is a state in which lupus symptoms disappear.

Lupus nephritis occurs when lupus autoantibodies affect parts of the kidneys that filter out waste. This causes swelling and irritation of the kidneys, called inflammation. It might lead to blood in the urine, protein in the urine, high blood pressure, kidneys that don't work well or even kidney failure.