Selena Gomez Effect: Star's Kidney Transplant Inspires Donation to Lupus Research
Selena Gomez's kidney transplant is shedding light on her condition as a person struggling with Lupus. Instead of unleashing a health scare, however, thousands have been inspired to give to charity.
Since Gomez revealed what happened to her, the Lupus Research Alliance apparently received over $500,000 donations from the public. The group's head, President and CEO Kenneth Farber, acknowledged Gomez's effect as their website's traffic soared and their phones rang non-stop following the young star's Instagram post on her kidney transplant.
People apparently got curious about how they can help. Some also wanted to learn more about the disease.
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Gomez's now viral post on Instagram also bought to light important issues among people with Lupus.
For one thing, it has helped raise awareness that having Lupus makes a patient vulnerable to kidney diseases or Lupus nephritis. For another thing, it's highlighting the reality that there aren't enough living kidney donors to help increase a patient's chances of recovery or get a longer leash on life.
At least 116,000 are currently on the organ transplant list in the U.S. but only 6,000 underwent surgeries as of 2016. Some patients have waited on the list for years.
"There's simply not enough kidneys to go around," Dr. George Rofaiel of the Medical City Fort Worth Transplant Institute said.
Live kidney donation, which was what Gomez's best friend Francia Raisa sacrificed, fall under low-risk surgery. Donors don't have to be from the same ethnic group, but it could be an advantage in terms immunological compatibility.
Raisa responded to Gomez's revelation by saying that she's "beyond grateful" for helping out a friend who's like a sister to her. The two stars have known each other for almost a decade.
"This was part of our story, and we will share it soon, but what is important now is that this is not the only story," she stated.
Gomez, 25, learned of her Lupus in 2013. Doctors are optimistic about her progress since she and her live kidney donor are both young.
