Selena Gomez’s First Photo of Her Kidney Transplant Scar Came With an Empowering Message

Power in herself. Selena Gomez’s kidney transplant scar photo came with a powerful message about self-love. The Wizards of Waverly Place alum took to her Instagram on Thursday, September 24, to share her first photo of her scar from her 2017 kidney transplant.

“When I got my kidney transplant, I remember it being very difficult at first showing my scar. I didn’t want it to be in photos, so I wore things that would cover it up,” Gomez captioned a photo of her next to a pool in a one-piece swimsuit by the brand La’Mariette. “Now, more than ever, I feel confident in who I am and what I went through…and I’m proud of that. T – Congratulations on what you’re doing for women, launching @lamariette whose message is just that…all bodies are beautiful.”

Though Gomez’s kidney transplant scar has been photographed before in paparazzi shots of her in a swimsuit, her Instagram post was the first time she showed her full scar on her own. The former Disney Channel star revealed that she received a kidney transplant from her best friend, Francia Raisa, in September 2017. She received the kidney transplant due to complications related to lupus, an autimmune disease she was diagnosed with in 2015. “I’m very aware some of my fans had noticed I was laying low for part of the summer and questioning why I wasn’t promoting my new music, which I was extremely proud of. So I found out I needed to get a kidney transplant due to my Lupus and was recovering,” Gomez wrote on her Instagram at the time.

Source: Instagram

she continued, “It was what I needed to do for my overall health. I honestly look forward to sharing with you, soon my journey through these past several months as I have always wanted to do with you. Until then I want to publicly thank my family and incredible team of doctors for everything they have done for me prior to and post-surgery. And finally, there aren’t words to describe how I can possibly thank my beautiful friend Francia Raisa. She gave me the ultimate gift and sacrifice by donating her kidney to me. I am incredibly blessed. I love you so much sis. Lupus continues to be very misunderstood but progress is being made.”