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Actor-Model Gets Kidney Transplant 5 Months After Revealing She Was ‘Hanging On By A Thread’
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Bijou Phillips is sharing an update on her health just months after issuing an urgent call-out to her fans. The “Raising Hope” actor and model confirmed on Instagram late Tuesday that she successfully underwent a kidney transplant, noting that her brother, Aron Wilson, had turned out to be her “perfect match” as a donor. “I am beyond beyond grateful to everyone who rushed into help me, get checked to donate, you are all hero’s! My wonderful brother donated in the kidney exchange!” she wrote alongside a carousel of photos showing her in what appeared to be a hospital bed. “So close it’s like I got the kidney from one of my parents!” She went on to thank Wilson, as well as Dr. Jeffrey Veale and the medical staff at the University of California, Los Angeles, who have “been so wonderful and amazing.” As of Wednesday afternoon, Phillips’ post had drawn an array of well-wishes, including some from her famous friends. “Love you Bij. Best news ever,” actor Lauren German wrote. “Thank you to your brilliant surgeon, brother and donor!” “So happy for you. Love you so much sis,” Paris Hilton added. In a February post on Instagram, she explained she’d been born with underdeveloped kidneys and had undergone a previous transplant. “Please help me find a living donor so that I can have more time with my daughter, family, and friends,” she wrote at the time. “Time is of the essence.” Phillips is the daughter of late musician John Phillips, a founding member of the legendary 1960s pop group the Mamas & the Papas. She shares a 12-year-old daughter, Fianna Francis, with estranged husband Danny Masterson, a fellow actor. Masterson, best known for his portrayal of Steven Hyde in “That ’70s Show,” is currently serving a 30-year prison sentence after being convicted of raping two women. Phillips went public with her health concerns in 2017, when she revealed that she’d been on a kidney transplant list for about five years. In February, she told US Weekly she was “hanging on by a thread” and had been “praying a lot,” while crediting her boyfriend, Jamie Mazur, and half-sisters Chynna Phillips and Mackenzie Phillips for their support. “I could make it on dialysis for a couple years, or I could get an infection in my line tomorrow and be gone in a few days,” she said. “I’m really hopeful, [but] it’s an extremely urgent situation.” “When you live in a body that you can’t always trust… it makes the things that are beautiful so much more beautiful,” she continued. “It’s kind of like the cheat code. You go through all of these hard things, but God, it makes the sunsets prettier, and it makes taking a breath like a glass of champagne. Everything is better because you have so much gratitude.” By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.