Selena Gomez Says She's 'Forever In Debt' To Kidney Donor Francia Raisa

13 March 2023, 11:31

Selena Gomez praised Francia Rasia in latest appearance
Selena Gomez praised Francia Rasia in latest appearance. Picture: Alamy/Getty

By Savannah Roberts

Selena Gomez has revealed that she "will never ever, ever be more in debt to a person than Francia" as she opens up about her 2017 kidney transplant.

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Selena Gomez had nothing but words of adoration for Francia Raisa as she praised her friend for saving her life by donating a kidney.

In 2017, Francia underwent surgery as she became Selena's donor after the pop star had faced health complications due to her lupus diagnosis.

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The 'Lose You To Love Me' singer appeared on the latest episode of the Apple TV+ docuseries, Dear..., and recounted how she will be forever grateful to her "best friend" just months after rumours whirred of a fallout between her and Francia.

"My best friend. Her name is Francia. She said, 'No, I am absolutely getting tested,'" Selena recounted the period in 2017 when her autoimmune disease was causing potentially life-threatening issues.

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Selena Gomez praised Francia Raisa on Apple TV+'s Dear...
Selena Gomez praised Francia Raisa on Apple TV+'s Dear... Picture: Alamy

During the episode that aired on March 10, Selena said: “I will never ever, ever be more in debt to a person than Francia. The idea of someone not even second-guessing to be a donor was unbelievably overwhelming.

"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 recalled.

Selena took a moment to express her gratitude, recognising that many others who suffer from the same condition are not as fortunate. Lupus is known to cause inflammation of the kidneys, leading to a large percentage of those with the disease to battle with serious kidney complications.

"I understand that that doesn't happen for a lot of people," she explained, "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."

Francia Raisa became Selena's kidney donor in 2017
Francia Raisa became Selena's kidney donor in 2017. Picture: Getty

Fans of Selena and Francia were relieved to discover that they're still good friends after they seemed to be at odds with one another in a series of social media posts in November 2022.

In the former Disney star's documentary, My Mind & Me, she called Taylor Swift her sole friend in the business and soon after Francia unfollowed Selena on Instagram, seemingly hinting at tensions between the pair.

“I never fit in with a cool group of girls that were celebrities. My only friend in the industry really is Taylor [Swift], so I remember feeling like I didn’t belong," she said in the now-famous documentary scene.

Part of this quote was re-shared to Instagram by a news publication and Francia replied with a since-deleted cryptic comment that read: "Interesting."

Despite the speculation surrounding their friendship, Selena's statement seems to have put the rumours to rest.

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