Actress Bijou Phillips is back in hospital and urgently in need of a second kidney transplant after her previous donor organ failed.
A representative for Phillips confirmed that she is currently receiving treatment at UCLA Health, where she has resumed dialysis while awaiting a living donor match.
Bijou Phillips initially underwent a kidney transplant in 2017, receiving the organ from a friend. However, the transplant has now failed following several post-surgery complications. According to her representative, she developed the BK virus, which contributed to both cellular and antibody rejection of the transplanted kidney.
While she is said to be in stable condition, her team has stressed that “time is of the essence” as she searches for a suitable donor.
Born with underdeveloped kidneys,Bijou Phillips spent the first three months of her life in a neonatal intensive care unit on dialysis. She has battled kidney disease for most of her life, making this latest development particularly critical.
She is currently under the care of Dr. Anjay Rastogi at the CORE Kidney programme at UCLA Health as she continues treatment and navigates the donor process.
Further updates on her condition are expected as she awaits a compatible transplant.