Fans were obviously shocked by the revelation that Selena Gomez had kidney transplant surgery earlier this summer, but one part of her story was heartwarming: the organ donor was her best friend, Francia Raisa. Ever since the information dropped on Thursday morning, people have wanted to know who Gomez's friend Francia Raisa is exactly. After all, talk about a real, true friendship.
Raisa, a 29-year-old model turned actress, is perhaps best known for her acting roles in Bring It On: All or Nothing and The Secret Life of the American Teenager, a series on which she appeared from 2008 to 2013. She received a Teen Choice Award nomination for her role on the series in 2012. During that time, she also starred in the ABC Family produced television films, The Cutting Edge: Chasing the Dream and The Cutting Edge: Fire and Ice. Raisa is also set to appear as a regular cast member in the upcoming black-ish spinoff, college-ish, which will reportedly make it's debut in early 2018, according to Entertainment Weekly.
Refinery 29 indicates that Gomez and Raisa met at a Disney and ABC Family charity event 10 years ago and have been friends ever since. The singer took to Instagram to give fans an explanation about why she appeared to be "laying low" for the past few months and shared a hospital snapshot of herself and Raisa around the time of the procedure. Raisa, who Gomez explains made the "ultimate sacrifice" by donating her kidney, can been seen holding hands with the singer while the two lay side by side in their respective hospital beds. The post quickly garnered media attention, receiving over 3.5 million likes in less than three hours of being shared.
Gomez cited her battle with Lupus as the reason for needing the transplant and also shared a courageous photo of the post-surgery scar on her abdomen. In her extensive caption, she explains exactly what she's been facing throughout the past few months, writing:
"I’m very aware some of my fans had noticed I was laying low for part of the summer and questioning why I wasn’t promoting my new music, which I was extremely proud of. So I found out I needed to get a kidney transplant due to my Lupus and was recovering. It was what I needed to do for my overall health. I honestly look forward to sharing with you, soon my journey through these past several months as I have always wanted to do with you."
She continued by thanking her family, doctors, and, last but not least, her best friend Raisa, to whom she offered her heartfelt love and gratitude for the amazing sacrifice. Gomez concluded by asking fans to educate themselves about the autoimmune disease and urged them to go to the Lupus foundation's website for more information.
While Francia Raisa may not yet be as large of a household name as her gal pal Gomez, her devotion as a BFF is inspirational and has most certainly raised the bar in terms of friendship goals for many.
There's no doubt that Raisa will remain by the singer's side every step of the way as she continues along her road to recovery.
