Bijou Phillips is recovering after a kidney transplant at UCLA that arrived through a paired-donation chain initiated when her brother Aron Wilson donated a kidney to another patient.The operation at UCLA Health’s CORE Kidney center used a minimally invasive technique performed by Dr. Veale, and Phillips reports less pain and faster recovery five days after surgery than after her 2017 transplant.Phillips was born with underdeveloped kidneys, returned to dialysis when her 2017 graft failed following a BK virus infection, and had publicly sought a donor while caring for her 12-year-old daughter, Fianna.She thanked the medical team, friends and supporters including
Jamie Mazur, and doctors say the new organ is functioning as she moves toward outpatient rehabilitation.