Would your bestie give up their kidney for you? Well Selena Gomez‘s long time friend Francia Raisa donated her organ to help the singer amid her battle with lupus in 2017.
Since her donation, the two have had a bit of a rocky relationship, but nonetheless, the Bring It On actress still stands by her decision. Keep reading to see all the times Francia has spoken about her donation.
The origin story behind Selena and Francia’s friendship is very sweet — and dates back to 2007! At the time, Francia was starring in ABC’s The Secret Life of the American Teenager while Selena was working for Disney.
“Disney and ABC Family had the stars of their shows go to the Children’s Hospital,” Raisa told Latina magazine. “Selena and I were in the same group and we just clicked.”
After their first meeting, Francia further recalled to W Magazine in 2018 that Selena had ringed her and said, “‘Hey, I don’t have any friends. Why don’t we ever hang out?’ Then we’ve just been inseparable.”
Flash forward to 2015, fans had noticed that Selena had quietly stepped away from social media, but didn’t know why. The Wizards of Waverly Place star later revealed that she had been diagnosed with Lupus in an October 2015 interview with Billboard.
“I’ve been through chemotherapy,” she said. “That’s what my break was really about. I could’ve had a stroke.”
Two years after her announcement, Selena and Francia’s friendship would go through a major life change. In 2017, the “Love On” singer revealed she underwent a kidney transplant — and that the Grown-ish star was the donor.
“There aren’t words to describe how I can possibly thank my beautiful friend Francia Raisa. She gave me the ultimate gift and sacrifice by donating her kidney to me. I am incredibly blessed. I love you so much sis,” the songstress shared on Instagram at the time.
After their recovery, the two continued their friendship and grew closer than ever, even getting matching tattoos! However in November 2022, Selena seemingly shaded Francia in an interview with Rolling Stone. When asked about who her friends were in the industry, the “Single Soon” artist revealed that her “only friend in the industry really is Taylor Swift.”
According to outlets at the time, Francia had seen the quote and wasn’t too thrilled. She reportedly commented “interesting” under a post sharing the story, but deleted it quickly after.
Since then, rift speculation has gone rampant, but Francia claims that there is “no beef” between the two, she revealed on the “Good Guys” podcast in 2023.
Keep reading to see all the time’s Francia has discussed her donation to Selena.
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