After shocking everyone when she graced the 2017 American Music Awards with platinum blonde hair and where she performed her song "Wolves," Selena Gomez attended the Lupus Research Alliance's Breaking Through Gala in New York City on Monday and talked about her own struggle with the disease.

The former Disney child star was awarded in the event for her efforts in spreading awareness about lupus, an autoimmune disease. During her speech, Gomez recounted how she fought lupus and how she figured in a "life or death" situation when she did not take her disease seriously.

"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. Thankfully, one of my best friends gave me her kidney and it was the ultimate gift of life. And I am doing very well now," Gomez explained.

The "Fetish" singer also narrated that she got diagnosed with lupus five or six years ago and had initially just brushed it off. Gomez then underlined the importance of research in finding "new discovery" and giving support to scientists.

Earlier this year, Gomez shared with fans and supporters this aspect of her life when she uploaded a photo of her and her best friend Francia Raisa lying in bed at a hospital, with a caption that pretty much revealed the operation that they both had gone through.

Early this month, Gomez then shed more light on the details of her surgery. The singer explained that she felt the complications as she battled lupus and that she first denied the symptoms but that these had eventually caught up with her.

She divulged that she was thankful for her best friend. Gomez narrated that Raisa had been supportive of her and had immediately got tested to see if they were a match upon knowing of her best friend's condition. Luckily, they were compatible, and the kidney transplant went through.