[ot-caption title=”Singer Selena Gomez performing her new hit single ‘Good for You’ at a concert. (via, Amanda Nobles/Wikipedia)”]

This past June, young singer and former Disney superstar Selena Gomez met fans’ demands as she emerged back into the spotlight.  After taking a break from the pressures of Hollywood, she released her catchy new single, “Good for You,” featuring A$AP Rocky. In an interview for Billboard Magazine’s October 17^th issue, the 23-year-old singer squashed rumors, revealing the shocking reason behind her rest from the music industry in late 2013.

Gomez disclosed her hiatus, explaining that it was due to a diagnosis of Lupus that required chemotherapy as treatment. Lupus, an autoimmune disease, is a poorly understood illness. Unfortunately, doctors have not been able to find a cure for this disease that typically affects the skin, joints, blood, and kidneys. Patients diagnosed with Lupus have an immune system that begins to act erratically, failing to tell the difference between healthy tissue and germs or viruses that enter the system. As a result, the body creates autoantibodies that attack this healthy tissue, potentially causing damage to various organs such as the skin, heart, kidney, brain, nervous system, and gastrointestinal tract.

In fear of having a stroke, Selena Gomez decided it was best for her health to cancel her Australian tour in 2013 and take some time for herself to deal with her illness. Although Gomez decided to take this break for medical reasons, she didn’t reveal the whole truth about her sudden hiatus for privacy purposes. Tabloid rumors began swirling that the star went to rehabilitation after a harsh breakup from also famous singer, Justin Bieber, or due to drug addiction. In response, Selena said, “It’s so disappointing that I’ve become a tabloid story. It took away everything I loved about this business… the hate motivated me.”

Medical studies show that approximately 1.5 million Americans have Lupus, and it affects mostly women between the ages of 15 and 44. Gomez’s revelation of her unfortunate diagnosis is spreading great awareness for the disease, allowing her younger fan base to better understand the chronic illness and its effects. She encourages fans to visit the website of the Lupus Foundation of America that is “devoted to solving the mystery of Lupus, one of the world’s cruelest, most unpredictable, and devastating diseases, while giving caring support to those who suffer from its brutal impact,” to gain knowledge and understanding.

Through the release of her new album appropriately titled Revival, Selena Gomez is proving to both fans and tabloids that she is able to overcome this hump in the road by turning a negative into a positive. The star has already announced concert tour dates for late 2016 and is currently doing major press for her album.  We cannot be more excited to watch her prosper in her new endeavors while serving as a new type of role model for young girls all over.

If you are interested in helping the cause to find the cure for Lupus or learning more about the disease itself, make sure to visit www.lupus.org for more information on how you can get involved. Even in our own South Florida community, there will be a Walk to End Lupus on October 25 at 3:00 PM in Marlins Park in Miami, Florida. To register, be sure to sign up online before October 24 by visiting http://www.lupus.org/florida/events/entry/walk-to-end-lupus-now-south-florida-fall2.

Sources: CNN, Daily Mail, Billboard, Medical Daily, Lupus.org, Amanda Nobles