Four months ago, actress Francia Raisa posted a video on Instagram in which he claimed she was happy to be back, after a tough, courageous kidney donation surgery she went under, to save her best friend’s life, Selena Gómez. The situation was addressed to their fans four months after the surgery, and both actresses showed their love and support to each other in social media.
However, Francia decided to speak up again about her process, and she accepted an interview on Harry Connick Jr.’s daytime talk show “Harry,” which will air on Monday 19. The 29-year-old proudly showed her scars on the red carpet.
Francia claims that as the recovery process wrecked her routine and independence, it made her walk a humbling path. Still, she feels now closer to Selena as ever. The actress explains now they’re not only friends but family, considering now Selena even has Francia’s blood.
Ignoring a life-threatening disease
“I don’t think I made the right decisions, because I didn’t accept it. It was extremely selfish and at the same time really, really just unnecessary. I’m not really proud of that. That would be easier if I just accepted it, but I am definitely the hardest person on myself, for sure.”
When her health problems became imminent, and the singer faced a life or death situation, she decided it was time to cope with what was happening, and she went to a facility to take some time off. She claimed to have recovered herself from everyone in her life and even stopped seeing Francia for six months.
Francia, stood by her side after Selena decided to come back, which made the singer appreciate her friendship as the evidence of the fact that some people understand where she is, and won’t judge her for it.
Selena still states that she did not accept the position she had, and claimed that being a famous figure only meant she was isolated. Selena recalled sometimes she wanted to point out those who criticised her and explain she was going through chemotherapy and the effects it causes.
Finally, she decided to come out and talk about her disease when people started rumors saying she was in rehab due to some addiction. Selena understood the life of a Hollywood actress/singer could not be suddenly kept in private after living almost her entire life under the public eye.
Friends just know
Francia told Guthrie she was the one to offer the kidney, while she narrates a heartbreaking moment that led her to sacrifice herself for Selena. They were sharing an apartment, and Francia was about to move out. However, she claims something did not feel quite right with that idea, and she told Selena, who responded she liked to live with her.
Selena went home one day, and Francia explains the singer was emotional, to which she did not make a comment since they understood when each other was going through something. Francia knew Selena had not been feeling well. Francia worried when she saw her friend could not even open a water bottle and broke down, and that’s when Selena revealed that the waiting list to get a kidney transplant was up to 10 years long.
Francia claims words just jumped out of her mouth, saying she would get tested to see if they were a match. Fortunately, they were. That’s when an uphill road began for the actress.
It is harder for the donor
As Selena’s kidneys were shutting down, Francia decided to contact doctors to run the tests she needed to be prepared for the surgery. The actress explains it was a scary process since she had to attend a course and understand the seriousness of the situation and what it would mean regarding the impact on her life.
Between CT scans, several blood tests, and psychological analyses as well, Francia kept going, explaining that the process takes about six months. They went to surgery, and Selena’s life was saved. Francia then was surprised and frustrated, considering Selena recovered fast, while she had to spend two months in recovery.
Francia could only walk around her house and needed help for everything she had to do. The actress admitted that the process was harder for the donor since she is the one losing a part of her body. Fortunately, a much stronger and active Francia made a come back to the business and holds an extraordinary friendship with her best friend.
Source: NBC News