Selena Gomez knows well the feeling of being in the vortex of the celebrity world. Far too early, the grounded girl from Grand Prairie, TX found out how hard it was to live a real life under the gawking eyes of the public, real and behind screens in the cyber world. The glare of media took its toll on Selena Gomez for a while, but then, she found a strength she never knew, to stand and face the world rather than run. That courage has gained Selena Gomez millions of fans and followers, not to mention considerable clout on the social media circuits that were not so kind in her teens.
The 25-year-old star has been honest and open about her health, too, from needing time away from a frenzied career to nurture her mind and spirit, to having the autoimmune disease, Lupus. Today, September 14, Selena Gomez shared some very life-changing and personal news on her own terms. She has had a kidney transplant, and her gift of life came from the best possible source.
Summer retreat for a reason
“Some of my fans had noticed I was laying low for part of the summer,” confronted Gomez head-on in her news release. She added that she was aware of fans’ dismay at not seeing her here and there promoting her new music. The brunette beauty couldn't have a better reason for the conspicuous absence.
“I found out I needed to get a kidney transplant due to my Lupus,” Selena disclosed. For both the recipient and the donor, the surgery is quite involved and takes ample time for recovery. The singer seemed to indicate through her words that this was not an acute emergency procedure, but one that was very well thought out and planned.
“It was what I needed to do for my overall health,” she insisted.
True bonds beyond friendship
In an Instagram post, Selena Gomez wrote in familiar “heart-to-heart” style to her fans that she looked forward to sharing her journey through the past several months, and put her candor on precious view in a photo. She and best friend, Francia Raisa, are shown smiling contentedly at one another and holding hands from their hospital beds.
Raisa starred in “The Secret Life of the American Teenager,” the ABC Family series that brought a welcome, though melodramatic, dose of pregnancy and puberty-driven life from the perspective of the youth involved and their parents. Selena Gomez honored her friend’s “ultimate gift and sacrifice” that will vitally serve to prolong her own body and life for years.
Selena Gomez closed her remarks by relating that “Lupus is very misunderstood.” The star has taken on the role of ambassador for the cause, and steered fans to the Lupus Research Alliance for details on the disease and recent progress. The girl who grew up singing on set with the purple dinosaur, Barney, was very grown-up in showing off her significant horizontal scar.
Kudos went to her medical team for all their handiwork and caring, too.
This is a case of life imitating song, and today, Selena Gomez demonstrated unique strength in telling the world something that no one but those dearest to her knew. The music world has seen the courage of Selena Gomez and Lady Gaga in recent days, as both determined ladies face the music in maintaining health. Their kind of strength is a strident model for all young women. The music inspired by adversity stands the longest in history, too. It is no wonder why the ending words from Gomez are “grace through faith.”
