As CB reported last week, Selena Gomez disclosed she’d had a kidney transplant. Selena’s best friend, Francia Raisa, donated her kidney to Selena. I think most of us who read that post got pretty choked up about it – it was an emotional highlight in a kind of dreary week. Well, if we got emotional, you can only imagine how Selena’s mother, Mandy Teefey, must have felt. Mandy is a young mom, having had Selena at age 16. Selena was only five when Mandy divorced Selena’s dad and Mandy got primary custody of her. She worked very hard to provide for them, at one point working three jobs to support them. Selena once said she blamed her mother for the divorce because she, “wanted to have my mom and dad together,” and still feels bad about how angry she was at her mom. Needless to say, they have a very strong bond, one that left Mandy frantic as Selena’s health declined and elated that Francia would make such a sacrifice.
Selena Gomez’s mom opened up about the singer’s kidney transplant on Monday, September 18. Mandy Teefey shared an emotional message about the experience on her production company’s Instagram page.
“This picture is one of the most breathtaking images that will live with me forever,” she captioned a pic of her daughter and actress Francia Raisa in their hospital beds. “For all those moments of not knowing if we were going up or going down, I can always come back to this picture and know we can always make it back up. As a mother I was helpless, scared and all I could do was pray for both of them, Francia’s beautiful family.”
“I am pretty sure I am banned from that hospital,” she continued. “Mama Bear was in high gear. Selena gained a kidney, I was able to keep my little girl, but I also gained another daughter … thank you to everyone who was there for Sel, Francia and our families. We survived from all the love, prayers and God.”
Who saw Steel Magnolias? Remember when they’re discussing Shelby’s transplant and saying her part was easy but, “… M’Lynn’s is terrible. They basically have to saw her in half to get her kidney out.” I think of that line every time I hear about a kidney transplant. I went through this experience with a friend who donated his kidney to his brother after a bicycle accident (everyone is healthy today). It was a little frightening to me because I didn’t know much about it at the time. But my friend seemed more grateful that he could help than any other emotion. The whole experience was marked by a certain sense of selfless beauty, much like Selena’s story. I understand what Mandy means about looking at the picture of Selena and Francia in their hospital beds – it is ‘breathtaking.’ I love her comment about gaining another daughter, I don’t doubt that is exactly how she feels. The desire to keep your kids safe is pretty potent. When you can’t, it is practically paralyzing. I’m sure Mandy watching Selena suffer was crippling so it must have been such a relief when Francia stepped up to save her. I’ll bet Mandy would take a bullet for any member of Francia’s family.
Photo credit: Getty Images, and Instagram
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