Selena Gomez's mom felt 'helpless' during daughter's kidney transplant

Mandy Teefey also said she was scared and thankful to donor Francia Raisa.

ByABC News
September 19, 2017, 11:13 AM

— -- Selena Gomez recently revealed that she is recovering from a kidney transplant, and now her mom is speaking out about watching her daughter go through that experience.

Mandy Teefey posted an emotional message on her Instagram page Monday night, in which she shared how "helpless" and "scared" she felt during her daughter's transplant surgery.

"This picture is one of the most breathtaking images that will live with me forever," she captioned a photo of the pop star with her friend and kidney donor Francia Raisa in side-by-side hospital beds.

"For all those moments of not knowing if we were going up or going down, I can always come back to this picture and know we can always make it back up," she said. "As a mother I was helpless, scared and all I could do was pray for both of them, Francia's beautiful family."

"I am pretty sure I am banned from that hospital," Teefey continued. "Mama Bear was in high gear. Selena gained a kidney, I was able to keep my little girl, but I also gained another daughter ... thank you to everyone who was there for Sel, Francia and our families. We survived from all the love, prayers and God."

Gomez first shared the photo of her and Raisa, the star of "The Secret Life of The American Girl," in their hospital beds last week when she revealed that she had undergone a kidney transplant.

"I’m very aware some of my fans had noticed I was laying low for part of the summer and questioning why I wasn’t promoting my new music, which I was extremely proud of," the 25-year-old singer, who suffers from Lupus, wrote on social media. "So I found out I needed to get a kidney transplant due to my Lupus and was recovering. It was what I needed to do for my overall health."

She also thanked her "beautiful friend," writing, "She gave me the ultimate gift and sacrifice by donating her kidney to me. I am incredibly blessed. I love you so much sis."