Bijou Phillips is facing one of the toughest battles of her life.
In a rare and emotional interview, the 45-year-old model and actress revealed she is “hanging on by a thread” as her urgent search for a kidney donor continues.
Phillips, who is currently undergoing dialysis at UCLA Health’s CORE Kidney program, admitted she has been waiting for a transplant for over a year.
“I’ve needed a transplant for a year. I’m sort of hanging on by a thread,” she told Us Weekly.
Born with underdeveloped kidneys, Phillips previously received a life-saving transplant from a friend in 2017.
But nearly a decade later, that kidney is failing.
“The medication you take when you’re transplanted is very toxic to the kidneys,” she explained.
“So when you get a transplant — heart or liver or kidney — within a decade, you’re probably going to need a kidney transplant.”
The Almost Famous star acknowledged the precariousness of her situation. “I could make it on dialysis for a couple of years, or I could get an infection in my line tomorrow and be gone in a few days,” she said.
“I’m really hopeful, [but] it’s an extremely urgent situation.”
Beyond her own health, Phillips says her fight is fueled by her devotion to her 12-year-old daughter, Fianna, whom she shares with ex-husband Danny Masterson.
“Now I’m a single mom, and things are different,” she said. “I want to be here for her, and I have to be here for her. The fight is back. I’m it. I’m all she’s got.”
