TEMPO.CO, Los Angeles - Selena Gomez said on Thursday that she has had a kidney transplant to treat the lupus that has derailed her life for more than three years.
In an Instagram posting, the 25-year-old singer showed a photo of herself in the hospital lying next to her best friend, actress Francia Raisa, who she said made the "ultimate gift" of donating her kidney.
The "Good For You" singer explained in the post that she had been lying low this summer because "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."
Read: Singer Selena Gomez Reveals Kidney Transplant
Gomez, who came to fame in Disney Channel's "Wizards of Waverly Place" and dated singer Justin Bieber for several years, revealed in 2015 that she had been diagnosed with the auto-immune disease lupus and undergone chemotherapy to treat it.
The announcement followed two career breaks and a canceled tour. In 2016 she again canceled part of her tour, saying she was suffering from anxiety and panic attacks caused by the illness.
The cause of lupus is not clear and symptoms can include swollen joints, fatigue, rashes and fever.
"Lupus continues to be very misunderstood but progress is being made," Selena Gomez said in Thursday's Instagram post.
REUTERS
