Bijou Phillips is desperately seeking the public’s help in finding a kidney.
The 45-year-old American model and socialite is currently hospitalized at CORE Kidney at UCLA Health. There, she is undergoing dialysis and anxiously awaiting a kidney donor.
“Time is of the essence,” a representative for Phillips said of her condition.
Phillips has been battling issues related to her kidneys for her entire life. She was born with both of her kidneys undeveloped and had to spend the first three months of her life in the NICU.
She was added to a kidney transplant list back in 2012 and has done everything in her power to improve her health, including switching to a vegan diet. However, it was clear that a transplant would be necessary.
In 2017, Phillips received a kidney transplant from a friend. She expressed her gratitude for this gift online.
“I have been waiting for this day to come for a long time,” she said. “Dialysis has been a blessing, and also extremely hard, I got an infection and am on my second catheter. This is major surgery, FSGS is scary, but I’m soooo intensely Grateful for my husband, my daughter, our Family!”
Unfortunately, that kidney would later fail, requiring the second transplant that she is now waiting on.
Since her first kidney transplant, the model has experienced multiple complications that have further threatened her health. This has included cellular and antibody rejection.
On Wednesday, Phillips took to Instagram to issue a desperate plea.
“I need help finding a kidney. I’m asking as a friend, a sister, an aunt, and most importantly, a single mother to an incredible and brave daughter. I am in need of a kidney,” she wrote.
She included more information about her condition and the donor qualification process.
Phillips shares one daughter, 11-year-old Fianna Francis, with her ex-husband, Danny Masterson. Masterson, a former star on That 70’s Show, is currently serving a 30-year prison sentence after being convicted of raping two women in the early 2000s.