Francia Raisa believes that it was God’s plan for her to donate a kidney to her close friend Selena Gomez.
The 31-year-old actress bravely agreed to give up one of her kidneys to the 27-year-old pop star whose organ had been damaged by her ongoing battle with autoimmune disease Lupus, but she thinks the fact she was match was an act of divine inspiration that was meant to happen.
In an interview with ‘Entertainment Tonight’, Francia said: "It was a decision that was very faith-based and … she and I have talked about before. It just kinda happened coincidentally, but I don’t believe in coincidences. I believe that that’s God’s way of remaining anonymous. I’m very grateful for the opportunity."
Now Selena has recovered from the surgery and her body has accepted the kidney, she has been back in the studio working on new music.
Francia has been treated to an early listen of the tracks and admits the songs had her "shaking my ass a lot".
The ‘Hit the Floor’ star is also busy with her career and is in the middle of shooting the third series of ‘Grown-ish’, in which she plays Ana Torres alongside her co-star Halle Bailey.
Halle, 19, has been cast as Ariel in Disney’s live-action remake of ‘The Little Mermaid’ and Francia can’t wait to see her in the role because she believes her pal is "perfect" for the part.
Francia said: "When she first told me about it, I literally was like, ‘There’s no one else I would have pictured.’ She’s so perfect for it. She also not only has the voice and the whole aura of it, but, like, her spirit. She’s just amazing at it. So I’m really excited to see that."
Selena previously admitted that she was facing a "life-or-death" situation prior to her kidney transplant because of her lupus nephritis, which is a complication caused by the condition.
The ‘Good for You’ hitmaker said: "I was diagnosed with lupus about five or six years ago. After undergoing so many tests to monitor my kidneys my doctors told me I have lupus nephritis, one of those complications from lupus. They said I would be needing a kidney transplant. Maybe I wasn’t necessarily really good at knowing what that meant so it actually got to a point where it was life-or-death. Thankfully, one of my best friends gave me her kidney and it was the ultimate gift of life."
Francia Raisa believes kidney transplant for Selena Gomez was God’s plan
