Actress and socialite Bijou Phillips has been "slowing dying for the past seven years," her husband, Danny Masterson said, but she's now on the road to recovery.
On April 7, Danny shared an Instagram image of his wife in the hospital after a successful kidney transplant surgery. In the photo, Bijou holds hands with her donor, Chris Wadhams.
"My lady has been slowing dying for the past 7 years of an incurable kidney disease," the usually private Danny said in a poignant message. "She was given the gift of an encore by a tall angel. Our daughter will have a mother. We do not take lightly how incredibly fortunate we are. 100% successful transplant. Now the real work begins for her to silence any chance of rejection. Our deepest gratitude to a perfect transplant team. And a life owed to a tall drink of water. Sláinte!"
In mid-February, Bijou was rushed to the hospital and in desperate need of a kidney transplant. On Feb. 15 she reportedly suffered a blood infection. TMZ said at the time that she had been sick and her fever spiked, which sent her to the emergency room.
Around the same time, the "That 70s Show" star shared news about his wife's health issues for the first time.
"Bijou was born with small kidneys and has been quietly dealing with kidney disease for the last five years, including being on the transplant list," he said.
The duo married in October 2011 and have one child together, 3-year-old Fianna Francis Masterson.
In late March, Bijou shared an image of herself from the hospital bed and spoke about her health struggles.
"I finally have my OR date for next week, and I'm so excited to get this kidney transplant!!! I have been waiting for this day to come for a long time," she said. "My donor is a dream come true, such an amazing guy, so kind, he blows me away everyday! Three years ago he heard people where getting checked and he called, but he kept calling and going in and getting tested!"
Of her donor, she said, "He rolled with the punches from day one and the struggles to get insurance to approve it. It's been a wild ride. Fate finds you, he is a perfect match… Dialysis has been a blessing, and also extremely hard, I got an infection and am on my second catheter. This is major surgery, FSGS is scary, but I'm soooo intensely Grateful for my husband, my daughter, our Family! And my dream come true Donor… This is gonna be such an amazing birthday coming up! A new birth… New start! Here is to good health, and gratitude…"