francia Raisa Addresses Wedding snub, Reflects onโ Kidney Donation to Selena Gomez
LOS ANGELES – Francia Raisa, the actress who donated a kidney to Selena Gomez in 2017, โขhas spoken publicly about notโฃ being invited to gomez’s wedding to producerโ bennyโข Blanco on September 27.Raisa addressedโ the situation in a recent interview, reaffirming her gratitude for being able to help her former friend despite the โapparent rift in their relationship.
“I know โขshe is getting married and I am very happy โขforโ her,” Raisaโค told reporter Magaly Ortiz. She continued, “And lookโฆ she has a โขlife and she’s already a billionaire, โคand I’m โคgratefulโ that I was able to do that for her.”
The kidney donationโ became necessary dueโฃ to Gomez’s battle with lupus,โค a diseaseโค that causedโฃ her organs to begin failing. Raisa,who was Gomez’s close friend at the time,stepped forward as a donor.
Responding to questions aboutโข her experience as an organ donor and rumors of resentment stemming from Gomez’s lifestyle post-surgery, Raisa emphasized the selfless nature of her decision. “Look, from the beginning the doctors told me, ‘It’s a donation. If you’re going toโ donate a dollar to St.โค Jude or somewhereโค else, you’re not going to call and say, ‘Hey, what areโฃ you doing with my dollar?’. It’s a donation, and it’s a niceโค thing โขthat โI was able toโค do.โค I’m grateful to be alive and to be able to say I saved a โคlife.”
The friendshipโค between Gomez and Raisa reportedly fractured in recent years. In a 2022 interview with Rolling Stone, Gomez identified Taylorโ swift as her only friend in the industry, a comment Raisa responded to with a simpleโค “Fascinating” on social media. Gomez later clarified,”Sorry for not mentioning all the people I know.”
Following the 2017 transplant, Gomezโ publicly thankedโ Raisa, stating on social media, “I have no words to describe how I could thank my lovely friend Francia Raisa. โฃShe has given โme the โbest gift and sacrifice possible by donating one of her kidneys to me. I feelโข so blessed…I love you so much, sister. Lupus is still a diseaseโข that we certainly know little about but that we continue toโ make progress โฃabout.”
