When did Francia Raisa donate her kidney to Selena Gomez? The pair’s friendship explored amid the former’s recent health struggles

In 2017, Francia Raisa donated a kidney to her close friend, Selena Gomez. This came at a crucial time when Gomez was grappling with lupus-related organ damage. Francia Raisa initially kept the donation private but has recently opened up about her motivations and the journey she undertook to help Gomez.

Francia Raísa also recently stated that she has been in a critical situation due to polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), in a post shared on Instagram on June 27, 2024. PCOS is a hormonal disorder that affects numerous women and exhibits symptoms such as abnormal menstrual periods, infertility, and weight gain.

For years, Raísa suffered from vague signs and visited various doctors before she saw a new gynecologist who diagnosed her with SIBO and endometriosis.

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Francia Raisa and Selena Gomez's friendship

Six years ago, Francia Raisa donated her kidney to Selena Gomez. Despite the depth of their bond, the years that followed saw the two friends seemingly drift apart.

In the episode of The Art of Kindness podcast that was aired on April 23, 2024, Raisa narrated in detail how she opted to donate her kidney to Gomez. She stressed that it was a personal, voluntary, and purely compassionate decision, though some people criticized it.

Selena Gomez also publicly thanked Raisa for the life-saving act in an emotional Instagram post, mentioning that the latter stood by her during one of the worst periods in her life.

Francia Raisa and Gomez first met each other a decade ago while they were working for different shows, Secret Life of the American Teenager and Wizards of Waverly Place.

However, they had some problems when their friendship was affected after Raisa responded to an interview comment made by Gomez to Rolling Stone magazine in November 2022. Gomez had remarked that Taylor Swift was her "only friend in the industry," prompting Raisa to respond with a terse "Interesting" on a social media post sharing the quote. Gomez's reply, "Sorry I didn’t mention every person I know," seemed to add fuel to the fire.

This exchange left her a target for hate comments from Gomez fans. Gomez also tried to shut down the rumors of the falling out with Raisa by posting several pictures of happy birthday wishes on Instagram for her.

Despite these public gestures, Francia Raisa admitted she struggles with the negativity she encounters on social media. In her conversation with Josh Peck on The Good Guys podcast, she revealed,

"I can’t read the comments because I don’t do well with that."

On the August 1, 2023, episode of Josh Peck's Good Guys podcast, Francia Raisa addressed misconceptions surrounding her decision to donate her kidney to Gomez.

“Never in my life did I picture this,” Raisa said

She emphasized that both she and Gomez wanted to control the narrative once the press caught wind of the story.

"We wanted to tell it," she said.

Francia Raisa was seen at Gomez’s first-ever Rare Impact Fund Benefit in Hollywood, Los Angeles on October 4, 2023. Reflecting on the personal growth they both experienced, Raisa said in an interview with Extra TV that she has no regrets about the kidney donation.

"Sometimes, I feel people need to spend time apart in order to grow. We had to almost go on our own journey and grow. I am really happy in my career now and my endeavor. I don't know if I would be able to do that if I didn't really take some time for myself and figure out what the hell was going on with me, because I wasn't okay," she said.

Raisa analyzed their friendship as not perfect and, like any other, has its good and bad moments.

"We trauma-bonded, which is beautiful, but also it can get rocky and tricky," she admitted.

Francia Raisa described their relationship as akin to that of siblings, saying that no relationship is without its challenges.

"I treat her like my little sister; she treats me like her older sister. I don't know any relationship that's perfect," she added.

In the episode of Josh Peck's Good Guys podcast reflecting on her decision to donate a kidney, Raisa had said,

“I just felt it in my heart, and I knew, I knew I was a match. No one forced me to do anything," she asserted.

She also clarified that the rumored drama had nothing to do with the kidney transplant.