Bijou Phillips is urgently seeking a living kidney donor. The actress previously received a kidney transplant in 2017, but has since suffered complications that have rendered her in need of another — and soon. Phillips is currently hospitalized at UCLA and on dialysis.
“Please help me find a living donor so that I can have more time with my daughter, family, and friends,” Phillips wrote on Instagram. “Time is of the essence.”
In the post, Phillips shared that she has struggled with health problems related to her kidneys since birth. “I was born with underdeveloped kidneys and spent the first three months of life in the NICU on dialysis,” she said. “In 2017, I received the incredible gift of a kidney from a dear friend. That transplant gave me 8 precious years to be a mother to my daughter — but I have had many complications since.”
Phillips contracted the BK virus, “which led to both a cellular and antibody rejection,” she said. According to the National Kidney Foundation, those who undergo organ transplants are at increased risk for the virus, also referred to as polyomavirus. “You can have BK virus in your system and not be aware of it,” the foundation shared on its website. “After your transplant, the virus may become active again. This is from the anti-rejection medicines. It can damage your new kidney and cause your body to reject it.”
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On Instagram, Phillips published the link to a Google Form that potential donors can fill out. The questionnaire gathers details about blood type, chronic health issues, age, name, and contact information. “It will only take 15 seconds and can save a life,” Phillips wrote. “I’m asking as a friend, a sister, an aunt, and most importantly, a single mother to an incredible and brave daughter.”
Phillips holds full custody of her daughter, as the 11-year-old’s father, Danny Masterson, is incarcerated. Phillips filed for divorce from Masterson in 2013 after the That ’70s Show actor was sentenced to 30 years in prison after being found guilty of forcible rape. They were married for nearly 12 years.