Gomez is wearing her hair in a sleek low bun, the kind we've seen her rocking on her new cooking show, and a bit of neutral eye makeup. The 28-year-old 'Rare' singer posed her right leg propped up on a rock, meaning Gomez's kidney transplant scar is on full display on her inner thigh. On her left thigh, Gomez's prayer hands tattoo can be seen.
"When I got my kidney transplant, I remember it being very difficult at first showing my scar," she wrote in the caption. "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. T - Congratulations on what you’re doing for women, launching @lamariette whose message is just that...all bodies are beautiful."
The post was embraced by her fans immediately, with nearly 11 million likes already. "Love you lady, you're a strong one!" wrote actress Katherine Langford, star of the 13 Reasons Why TV series that Gomez produced.
Others congratulated her on her courage to embrace her whole self and everything she's been through, "Congratulations, it takes a lot of courage to be brave. You are an amazing ambassador for everyone who is afraid to love them selves and deserves to be loved. I’m proud to say that my daughter admires a strong confident and courageous woman."
Gomez has long been open about her battle with lupus with fans. It's a chronic health condition that results in a malfunctioning immune system. In 2017, Francia Raísa, Gomez's bestfriend donated a kidney to Gomez.
“My kidneys were just done,” Gomez explained in a 2018 interview. “That was it, and I didn’t want to ask a single person in my life. The thought of asking someone to do that was really difficult for me. She 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.”
Unfortunately, it didn't go perfectly smoothly. Raísa spoke to W Magazine about the emergency surgey that caused Gomez's thigh scar. “A few hours after our surgery, I woke up and had a text from her that said, ‘I’m really scared.'" Raísa explained, "My kidney was very active, and when she turned, she 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," the grown-ish actress explained. We're so glad they're both well now. 💗
