Selena Gomez Recalls the 'Life-or-Death' Point During Her Lupus Battle: 'I'm Doing Quite Well Now'

Selena Gomez continues to shine brightly following her kidney transplant due to complications of lupus.

The newly blond star, 25, was honored at the Lupus Research Alliance Annual Gala at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York City Monday.

Gomez stood out in a yellow one-shoulder Calvin Klein gown which she accessorized with the designer brand’s glistening crystal-embellished sandals.

“I am really honored to be here with all of you guys tonight, my lupus community. As many of you know, or might now know, I was diagnosed with lupus about five or six years ago,” the “Wolves” singer told the attendees at the Seth Meyers-hosted gala.

“I’ve been speaking out about my situation to raise awareness about the disease,” Gomez said. “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.”

During her speech, she also recalled the moment doctors advised her about how necessary a transplant procedure could be in the future.

“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,” Gomez said, according to E! News. “Thankfully, one of my best friends gave me her kidney and it was the ultimate gift of life. And I am doing quite well now.”

In an October 2015 interview with Billboard, Gomez revealed that she was diagnosed with lupus and was undergoing chemotherapy for the autoimmune disease. Then in August 2016, she took a career break after suffering from “anxiety, panic attacks and depression” due to her lupus diagnosis.

Months later, in November 2016, Gomez made her return to the spotlight at the AMAs following a two-month hiatus to address health issues stemming from her Lupus diagnosis.

And in September, the on-off again girlfriend of Justin Bieber revealed she underwent a needed kidney transplant this summer due to her battle with the autoimmune disease; Gomez’s best friend, actress Francia Raisa, donated one of her kidneys.

In recent years, Gomez has raised more than $500,000 for the Lupus Research Alliance.

“At the end of the day, I think all the stuff that I went through made me and defined everything that I am right now. I think it’s a really beautiful thing, and I have to remind myself that it’s not a negative experience,” Gomez told Savannah Guthrie in an interview on Today.

The gala comes one day after the star was criticized for lip-syncing her at the 2017 American Music Awards. It was her first live performance since she had her surgery.