Selena Gomez Proudly Shows Off Her Kidney Transplant Scar in Swimsuit Pic: ‘I Feel Confident’

Selena Gomez doesn’t want to hide her kidney transplant scar anymore.

Fans might remember that Selena was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease called lupus in 2013. Then in 2017, the singer had to undergo a kidney transplant following complications from lupus which impaired her kidneys. Selena’s life was transformed when her longtime friend, Francia Raisa, volunteered to donate her kidney to the singer. In a memorable Instagram post, Gomez announced her kidney transplant sharing a sweet photo of her and Francia holding hands as they lay in adjacent hospital beds.

The Rare Beauty founder gushed that she fell short of 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,’ selena wrote at the time.

Although the singer has fully recovered from the surgery since then, she’s been reluctant to show off her scar publicly. That is until now.

“I remember it being very difficult at first showing my scar. I didn’t want it to be in photos”

On Thursday, the 28-year-old singer posted an Instagram photo of herself modeling a blue one-piece from her longtime friend, Theresa Marie Mingus’s new swimwear line, La’Mariette. In the caption, Gomez shared that she finally feels confident enough to show the scar she received from an emergency follow-up procedure after her kidney transplant in 2017.

Gomez who seems to be wearing minimal makeup and sporting a sleek low bun models the flattering swimsuit with full confidence. Her fierce pose, also put her inner thigh scar and her prayer hands tattoo on full display.

She wrote alongside the photo, “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,” the singer confessed. “Now, more than ever, I feel confident in who I am and what I went through…and I’m proud of that. T (Theresa Marie Mingus) – Congratulations on what you’re doing for women, launching @lamariette whose message is just that…all bodies are beautiful.”

The post instantly garnered millions of likes from her fans, followers and famous friends, who showed their love and support in the comments, appreciating the singer’s bravery.

“Scar looks like Just another beautiful tattoo ❤️,” celeb-favorite tattoo shop Bang Bang Tattoo wrote. “???????????? You are so incredible ????” Jenni “JWoww” Farley added. “That scar is what defines you. One true fighter!!! ????????❤️????????????” one fan wrote. Another simply said, “Te amo.”

“She could have died”

Gomez’s scar was first photographed in 2018 during a set of paparazzi pictures, when the “Ice Cream” singer was spotted wearing an orange and black bikini on a yacht off the coast of Australia. However, this is the first time the former Disney star has revealed her scar on social media.

Although Selena had been open about her battle with lupus for several years, fans were shocked in September 2017 when the singer revealed she’d received a kidney transplant from Raísa. Francia later detailed the toll it took on her physical and mental health.

During an interview with “Self” about the transplant procedure, the “Grown-ish” actress showed her own surgery scars. She even revealed that Gomez has a scar on the inside of her leg due to an emergency surgery following the transplant.

Recalling the scary moment in an interview, Raisa explained, “A few hours after our surgery, I woke up and had a text from her that said, ‘I’m really scared.’ My kidney was very active, and when it turned I broke an artery. They had to take her into emergency surgery and get a vein from her leg and build a new artery to keep my kidney in place. She could have died,” Raisa said of the potentially fatal health scare.

“The thought of asking someone to do that was really difficult for me”

Speaking about her transplant and subsequent emergency surgery, Selena said, “The thought of asking someone to do that was really difficult for me. She (Raisa) volunteered and did it. And let alone someone wanting to volunteer, it is incredibly difficult to find a match. The fact that she was a match, I mean that’s unbelievable. That’s not real.”

In an interview last year, Raisa said her decision to donate her organ to Gomez was “very faith-based.”

“It just kinda happened coincidentally, but I don’t believe in coincidences. I believe that that’s God’s way of remaining anonymous,” she said. “I’m very grateful for the opportunity.”