Grand Prairie’s Selena Gomez takes break from tour to focus on health

Grand Prairie native Selena Gomez is taking a break from her Revival tour for health reasons.

A year ago, Gomez announced that she has lupus. In a statement she released to People recently, she said she is experiencing side effects of the auto-immune disease.

“I’ve discovered that anxiety, panic attacks and depression can be side effects of lupus, which can present their own challenges,” she told the magazine. “I want to be proactive and focus on maintaining my health and happiness and have decided that the best way forward is to take some time off. Thank you to all my fans for your support.

“You know how special you are to me, but I need to face this head on to ensure I am doing everything possible to be my best. I know I am not alone by sharing this. I hope others will be encouraged to address their own issues.”

Her worldwide tour came to Dallas in June. She was scheduled to perform in Canada in September and in Europe in October and November.

According to the Lupus Foundation of America: “With symptoms that come and go, disease flares and remissions, and the uncertainty of what each day will bring, it’s normal to experience feelings of unhappiness, frustration, anger, or sadness. It’s also normal to grieve for the loss of the life you had before lupus.”

The foundation estimates that 1.5 million people in the United States — 90 percent women — have some form of lupus with at least five million worldwide.

@bryanbastible

This story was originally published August 30, 2016 at 10:36 PM with the headline "Grand Prairie’s Selena Gomez takes break from tour to focus on health."