[Updated] Selena Gomez Reveals She Had a Kidney Transplant (2024)

FAQs

How long can Selena Gomez live with a kidney transplant? ›

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.

What is the life expectancy of a transplanted kidney? On average, a kidney transplant from a living donor lasts for 20-25 years, while a kidney from a deceased donor lasts 15-20 years. This is very variable depending on the age of the donor and patient, and other medical issues.

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.

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.

In most cases, lupus is not fatal. In fact, 80% to 90% of people who have this autoimmune disease will likely live a normal life span. Still, some people do die from the disease, in which your immune system attacks your body's organs and tissues.

"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.

Francia Raisa donated her kidney to Selena Gomez in 2017. Gomez made the reveal that Raisa donated one of her kidneys to her in an emotional post that shows them lying in hospital beds following the surgery. "There aren't words to describe how I can possibly thank my beautiful friend Francia Raisa.

Each transplant program sets its own practice. For example, one program may not accept anyone older than 80 years of age; another may have no age limit. Most transplant candidates nationwide are age 50 or older, and many transplant programs often accept patients age 65 and older.

Who pays if you donate a kidney? ›

The transplant recipient's insurance will cover your general expenses as a donor, such as the evaluation, surgery, and limited follow-up tests and medical appointments. However, the recipient's insurance may not cover follow-up services for you if medical problems occur from the donation.

In 2020, the average kidney transplant cost was US$442,500 (6). Charges for the transplant admission, which include the surgery itself, are the most expensive line item, accounting for 34% of the total cost.

Selena Gomez lives with lupus, one of several health conditions she's experienced over the years. The 31-year-old pop star recently opened up about her wellbeing to TODAY's Hoda Kotb alongside U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy in an interview aired May 2, 2024.

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.

For some people, living with and managing lupus can cause weight gain. Weight gain may also lead to worsening lupus symptoms and complications associated with obesity. Some potential causes of weight gain that relate to lupus may include: being a side effect of medications such as corticosteroids.

Charlotte Markle, 81, is among the world's longest-surviving kidney transplant recipients. Her transplant at Mayo Clinic was over 57 years ago on March 2, 1966. It followed Mayo Clinic's first kidney transplant on Nov. 25, 1963, which was Mayo's first solid organ transplant of any kind.

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."

The loss in kidney function is usually mild, and life span is not impacted. Most people with one kidney live healthy, normal lives with few problems. In other words, one healthy kidney can work as well as two. There may be a chance of having high blood pressure.

With a series of Instagram posts in September 2017, Selena Gomez shared that she'd undergone a kidney transplant at just 24, due to lupus-related organ damage.