Meet Selena Gomez’s Kidney Donor (and Longtime Friend) Francia Raisa

Selena Gomez told her loyal Instagram followers on Thursday that she took a step back from her career over the summer to recover from a kidney transplant. And the person generous enough to donate a kidney? Gomez’s longtime friend, actress Francia Raisa, best known for her role in ABC Family’s “The Secret Life of the American Teenager.”

“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,” Gomez shared on Instagram. “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.”

According to ET Online, Gomez and Raisa have been friends for nearly a decade.

“There aren’t words to describe how I can possibly thank my beautiful friend Francia Raisa,” Gomez wrote. “She gave me the ultimate gift and sacrifice by donating her kidney to me. I am incredibly blessed. I love you so much sis.”

Raisa shared in a 2013 interview that she met Gomez six years before when Disney and ABC Family had the stars of their shows visit a children’s hospital. “We just clicked,” Raisa told Latina.

In a 2016 Instagram post, Raisa opened up about her close friendship with Gomez, sharing how the pop star helped her through a rough breakup.

I went through heartbreak this year and you left the studio and drove out of your way to come see me and comfort me. I received good news last month and you facetimed me minutes before you went up on stage just to congratulate me. There are so many moments we have and things you do that I cherish and don’t take for granted. Wether its crying, laughing, or simply sitting on my kitchen floor throwing our hands up in the air confused at life, I’m thankful you’re always there. I am obsessed with every memory we’ve built in the last 8 years and the ones we have yet to create. I am so grateful that God put you in my life when he did. If you think about the time that we met and where we were in our lives when we first hung out, his timing was perfect. It’s been so inspiring watching you grow and to grow with you. I learn so much from you and I’m so so so proud of you. Happy Birthday Hermana. Love you so so so much @selenagomez

A post shared by Francia Raísa (@franciaraisa) on Jul 22, 2016 at 8:28am PDT

Raisa most recently appeared on “The Mindy Project” and the Netflix series “Dear White People.”

In October 2015, Gomez revealed she had been diagnosed with lupus and had to undergo chemotherapy. And in August 2016, Gomez took a career break after suffering from “anxiety, panic attacks and depression” from her struggle with lupus.

See Gomez’s post below.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZBHr4Pg5Wd/?hl=en&taken-by=selenagomez