Actress Bijou Phillips is searching for a living kidney donor after her body rejected a transplant she received eight years ago.<\/p>\n
The \u201cAlmost Famous\u201d star posted<\/a> an urgent plea on Instagram on Wednesday to her followers.<\/p>\n \u201cI need help finding a kidney. I\u2019m asking as a friend, a sister, an aunt, and most important, a single mother to an incredible and brave daughter,\u201d she began her post, referencing her 11-year-old daughter Fianna, whom she shares with her ex-husband, \u201cThat \u201970s Show\u201d actor Danny Masterson<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI was born with underdeveloped kidneys and spent the first three months of life in the NICU on dialysis,\u201d the 45-year-old explained. \u201cIn 2017, I received the incredible gift of a kidney from a dear friend. That transplant gave me 8 precious years to be a mother to my daughter\u2014but I have had many complications since, including the BK virus which led to both a cellular and antibody rejection.\u201d<\/p>\n The donated organ has since been rejected due to complications that included the BK virus, forcing Phillips back onto dialysis. The National Kidney Foundation<\/a> describes the BK virus as a common virus that can reactivate after a transplant in people with weakened immunity and lead to kidney dysfunction.<\/p>\n The \u201cRaising Hope\u201d star then asked people who were interested in becoming a living donor to apply through the link in her bio.<\/p>\n \u201cPlease help me find a living donor so that I can have more time with my daughter, family, and friends,\u201d Phillips wrote. \u201cTime is of the essence.\u201d<\/p>\n