Bijou Phillips is “hanging in limbo” as she desperately searches for a kidney donor.
The model and socialite, who is currently undergoing dialysis amid a devastating battle with kidney disease, opened up about her “dire” situation in a candid interview with Us Weekly on Friday.
“I needed a transplant a year ago,” said Phillips, 45. “The situation is perfect.” “My father had a liver transplant when I was 10 and had to undergo dialysis at UCLA when I was 20.”
“The drugs you take during a transplant are very toxic to your kidneys,” she continued. “So if you’re going to have a heart, liver, kidney, etc. transplant in 10 years, you’re probably going to need a kidney transplant.”
Phillips, who was born with underdeveloped kidneys, received her first kidney transplant from a friend in 2017.
However, Page Six confirmed earlier this month that the “Almost Famous” star was admitted to UCLA Health’s CORE Kidney for dialysis after the kidneys he received nearly 10 years ago were failing.
“I’ve been immunosuppressed for a long time…I might be okay on dialysis for a few years. Otherwise, I could get an infection tomorrow and be gone in a few days,” she told the outlet.
“I’m really hopeful, (but) it’s a very urgent situation,” Phillips acknowledged.
The Raising Hope alum went on to explain that she is “fighting” to stay alive to be here for her 12-year-old daughter Fianna.
Phillips shares Fianna with ex-husband Danny Masterson. The former couple married in October 2011 and gave birth to their only child in February 2014.
But Phillips filed for divorce from the “That ’70s Show” alum in September 2023, less than two weeks after he was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for raping two women.
Recently, she applied to have the disgraced actor’s surname removed from the Fianna name.
“Right now, I’m a single mother, so things are different,” the ailing actress explained. “I want to be here for her and I have to be here for her.”
“The fight is back,” she added. “It’s been lost for a long time. I’m it. I’m all she has.”
On Feb. 11, the same day Page Six confirmed that Phillips was admitted to UCLA and undergoing dialysis, the “Bully” star took to social media to ask for help finding a kidney donor.
“I need help finding a kidney,” she wrote alongside a photo of herself and her newborn baby, Fianna. “I ask this as a friend, as a sister, as an aunt, and most importantly, as a single mother of an incredibly brave daughter.”
“I need a kidney,” she added before sharing her story.
However, the next day, when Phillips’ friends and family went through the process to see if they were suitable to donate, it was reported that there were “no potential donors” at that time.
Still, Ms Phillips and her loved ones are said to be “optimistic” that she will find a mate within the next “few months”.
Representatives for Phillips did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.
