Selena Gomez on her transplant: "It was life or death" (2017) 1:10
(CNN) -
Selena Gomez feels confident and proud, and now she is showing the world the scar from her kidney transplant, three years after receiving a new organ from her best friend.
The singer and actress revealed in 2017 that she received a kidney transplant from her close friend and also actress Francia Raisa, which she needed as a result of her battle with lupus.
In a text accompanying a photo posted on Instagram, Gomez, dressed in a blue bathing suit, said that at first it was difficult for her to show her scar.
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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.
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.
A post shared by Selena Gomez (@selenagomez) on Sep 24, 2020 at 9:57 am PDT
“When I had my kidney transplant, I remember that at first it was very difficult to show my scar.
I didn't want her to appear in the photos so I wore things that would cover her, ”he wrote on Instagram Thursday.
"Now, more than ever, I feel sure of who I am and what I went through ... and I'm proud of that," she said.
Gomez revealed her lupus diagnosis in 2015 and has spoken about her struggles with the disease, as well as the anxiety and depression resulting from the condition.
Lupus is a chronic disease that can affect any part of the body, typically the skin, joints, blood, and kidneys, according to the Lupus Foundation of America.
The immune system of lupus sufferers essentially goes haywire and, instead of fighting viruses and bacteria with antibodies, their bodies create autoantibodies that attack healthy tissue.
The superstar previously said that the transplant was "what I needed to do for my overall health."
Selena Gomez thanks her best friend for the kidney she donated 0:42
With information from CNN's Nadia Kounang
Selena Gomez