From TV roles like Wizards Of Waverly Place and Only Murders In The Building to all of her fun pop music, Selena Gomez has shared her talents with us for many years now. It's amazing to think that Selena is only 29 years old as she has done so much. And she always shows fans her sweet and friendly personality, whether on social media or in interviews, which only makes her seem like an even more impressive young celebrity.
While Selena is a huge star and her Instagram posts are worth tons of money, we always feel like we can relate to her. And part of what makes Selena feel just like a regular person is how honest she is about the difficult things that she has experienced in her life. She definitely hasn't had an easy time. Let's take a look at the tragic truth about Selena Gomez's health issues.
Selena Gomez's Tough Health Issues
While we often focus on the details of Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber's relationship, there is something else that we should know about the young star: she has had a lot of health struggles.
Selena Gomez had a kidney transplant because she suffers from lupus. According to Healthline.com, Selena shared the news on her Instagram account in September 2017 and explained that her good friend donated her kidney. Selena wrote, "there aren’t words to describe how I can possibly thank my beautiful friend Francia Raisa. She gave me the ultimate gift and sacrifice by donating her kidney to me. I am incredibly blessed. I love you so much sis. Lupus continues to be very misunderstood but progress is being made."
Mayoclinic.com describes lupus as an autoimmune disease that means "your body's immune system attacks your own tissues and organs."
USA Today reported that Selena let her fans know in 2015 that she was suffering from this disease. During an interview on a podcast called Giving Back Generation Selena said that people could be really mean and say things about her body, but it's important for people to keep in mind that she has had health struggles. Selena said, "I have lupus and deal with kidney issues and high blood pressure, so I deal with a lot of health issues, and for me that’s when I really started noticing more of the body image stuff. So for me, I really started to notice when people started attacking me for that. And in reality, that's just my truth, I fluctuate... And that got to me big time. I think for me, that really messed me up for a bit."
Lupus can be treated with various drugs, from immunosuppressants to corticosteroids (which helps with the inflammation that the disease causes), according to Mayoclinic.org.
After Selena got her kidney transplant, she said that there was a 3-5 percent chance of having lupus again. ABC News reported that in 2017, Selena made a moving speech at the Lupus Research Alliance's Breaking Through Gala in New York City. She shared that she was glad to help people learn more about the disease.
Selena Gomez Has Also Struggled With Mental Health
Selena Gomez's fans really love and appreciate how open she is, and she has also talked about her mental health. This is so important for people to hear and that's especially true for Selena's young fans.
Selena Gomez was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and according to Insider.com, Selena had talked about having depresison and anxiety. When she appeared on the talk show Bright Minded with Miley Cyrus, Selena said that a visit to a hospital led to the diagnosis. Selena said, "Recently, I went to one of the best mental hospitals in America — McLean Hospital — and I discussed that, after years of going through a lot of different things, I realized that I was bipolar."
Therapy is a huge help for many people and Selena shared that she has used DBT, or Dialectical behavior therapy. According to Today.com, it means having "acceptance" of what you're going through and also working toward "change."
While different things will work for different people, many struggle with using social media all the time, and Selena Gomez told Elle magazine that she began letting go of using social media so much back in 2017. She let her assistant have her password and deleted the Instagram app from her phone. This is something that many people would love to do and it's helpful to hear how Selena has cut back on time spent on social media.
Fans love Selena Gomez and appreciate how she shares a lot of details about her health struggles, and her positive attitude and willingness to be honest are both so inspiring.