Selena Gomez took to Instagram to tell the world that she is not ashamed to show off her kidney transplant scar in a swimsuit.
“When I got my kidney transplant, I remember it being very difficult at first showing my scar,” Gomez, 28, wrote in the caption on Thursday. “I didn’t want it to be in photos, so I wore things that would cover it up. Now, more than ever, I feel confident in who I am and what I went through…and I’m proud of that.”
The actress and singer posed with one leg popped, showing the scar on her inner thigh. She wore a light blue one-piece swimsuit with a high neck and zipper detailing down the front. The bathing suit was designed by La’Mariette, a company that designs inclusive swimwear for all body types and sizes. She went on to congratulate one of the companies cofounders, Theresa Marie Mingus.
“T – Congratulations on what you’re doing for women, launching @lamariette whose message is just that…all bodies are beautiful,” Gomez said in the caption. The post garnered almost 12 million likes in one day.
The former Disney Channel actress received a kidney transplant in 2017 from her best friend Francia Raísa. Gomez was diagnosed with lupus, which is an autoimmune disease that causes the body’s immune system to attack its own tissues and organs. The scar on Gomez’s leg was caused by an emergency surgery that doctors performed to collect a blood vessel from her inner thigh to transplant to her new kidney to help keep it in place and function properly.
“And finally, there aren’t words to describe how I can possibly thank my beautiful friend Francia Raisa,” Gomez wrote in an Instagram post after the surgery. “She gave me the ultimate gift and sacrifice by donating her kidney to me. I am incredibly blessed. I love you so much sis.”
