Bijou Phillips faces one of the toughest battles of her life.
In a rare and emotional interview, the 45-year-old model and actress revealed that she is “hanging by a thread” as she continues her urgent search for a kidney donor.
Phillips, who is currently on dialysis at UCLA Health’s CORE Kidney program, admitted that he has been waiting for a transplant for more than a year.
“I’ve needed a transplant for a year. I’m kind of hanging by a thread,” he said. Us weekly.
Born with underdeveloped kidneys, Phillips previously received a life-saving transplant from a friend in 2017.
But almost a decade later, that kidney is failing.
“The medication you take when you get a transplant is very toxic to the kidneys,” he explained.
“So when you get a transplant (heart, liver or kidney) in a decade, you will probably need a kidney transplant.”
He Almost Famous The star recognized the precariousness of his situation. “I could survive on dialysis for a couple of years, or I could get an infection in my line tomorrow and be gone in a few days,” he said.
“I have high hopes, [but] “It is an extremely urgent situation.”
Beyond her own health, Phillips says her fight is fueled by her devotion to her 12-year-old daughter, Fianna, whom she shares with ex-husband Danny Masterson.
“Now I’m a single mother and things are different,” she said. “I want to be here for her, and I have to be here for her. The fight is back. I am. I’m all she has.”
