Francia Raisa’s mother has denied that her daughter received any financial reward for donating her kidney to her close friend Selena Gomez.
The Fetish singer shocked fans earlier this week by revealing that she had undergone a kidney transplant over the summer, due to her ongoing battle with lupus.
Selena’s long time pal and fellow actress, Francia Raisa, donated her kidney – and her mother has since revealed the reason behind her daughter’s decision.
In an interview with Spanish language station Telemundo’s show Al Rojo Vivo, Francia’s mum Virginia Almendarez was asked if Francia received financial compensation, and she said, “No, not even a single penny. Some people are treating this as if there was money involved.”
“Francia did it for friendship, for her love for Selena, and because they care a lot for each other. She didn’t receive any benefit from this, only the benefit of Selena having a better life.”
Virginia admitted that she was worried about the surgery at first, but respected Francia’s decision.
“Francia Raisa is an adult already, and she makes her own choices. She told me about it two weeks before the operation, and of course, at first, I was worried, but then she said that she had been thoroughly informed about everything and that she was going to do it.”
“All I could do was support her. People need to know that you can live with one kidney, there are a lot of individuals that get scared to donate to people that need it because they’re afraid of never again living a normal life. But there is no danger.
“They’ve been friends for many years. They’re like sisters. I love her [Selena] a lot, too. She loves me a lot. She says I’m her mom. I’m very proud of both of them.”
Francia and Selena have been friends since 2007, and first met at a charity visit to a hospital.
