Bijou Phillips is looking happy and healthy just weeks after undergoing a life-saving kidney transplant.
The Almost Famous actress, 46, stepped out on Tuesday, August 18, to help package meals for Los Angeles residents facing food insecurity at the Our Big Kitchen Los Angeles 6th Anniversary Celebration, and a source exclusively tells In Touch that Phillips was in great spirits as she pitched in at the event.
“She looked better than she has in a long time. Not just physically but her spirit,” the source says. “You could tell she was grateful for her recent good fortune and was really enthusiastic about helping others in need.”
Phillips spent the event packaging and preparing meals, but the source says she wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty in the kitchen.
“She spent time making cookies and cutting fresh vegetables and was smiling and glowing,” the source shares.
Phillips also received a warm welcome from the other volunteers, with the source noting that people were “really sweet to her, hugging and making sure to say hello.”
“She stayed the whole time and was letting everyone know she was ready to chip in,” the source adds.
The outing comes just over a month after Phillips revealed she had successfully undergone her second kidney transplant following a stressful search for a donor.
Phillips, who was born with underdeveloped kidneys, received her first transplant from a close friend in 2017. However, in February she revealed on Instagram that she was back on dialysis and desperately searching for another donor.
“That transplant gave me 8 precious years to be a mother to my daughter — but I have had many complications since, including the BK virus which led to both a cellular and antibody rejection,” she wrote.
Phillips said she was receiving treatment at UCLA before making an urgent plea for help.
“Please help me find a living donor so that I can have more time with my daughter, family, and friends,” she continued, adding, “Time is of the essence.”
In July, Phillips revealed that her brother, Aron Wilson, participated in a kidney exchange program which ultimately helped her receive what she described as a “perfect match.”
“I am beyond beyond grateful to everyone who rushed into help me,” she captioned an Instagram post on July 7.
She added that she felt better just five days after the procedure, comparing her recovery to how she felt four months after her previous transplant.
Phillips shares daughter, Fianna, 12, with ex-husband Danny Masterson, who’s serving 30 years to life in prison for rape.
This story Bijou Phillips Looks ‘Better Than She Has in a Long Time’ After Life-Saving Kidney Transplant first appeared on InTouch Weekly. Follow InTouch Weekly on Yahoo so you don’t miss what’s coming next.