Back in September, Selena Gomez, 25, revealed that her best friend, Francia Raisa, had donated her kidney to the singer after she was forced to have life-saving surgery due to complications with Lupus.
Lupus is obviously a very serious disease, in which the immune system attacks its own tissues, creating chronic health issues that can last for many years, and, if untreated, can be fatal. According to the Lupus Foundation of America, it is estimated that around 5 million people in the world suffer from lupus, and the autoimmune disease is especially common among women between the ages of 20 and 40.
While the symptoms vary from person to person, some of them include pain or swelling in joints, butterfly rashes, mouth ulcers, swollen glands, and more. You would think that it would be a bit difficult to love your body when your body is attacking you, but in a recent issue of Billboard, Selena opened up about how going through this harrowing ordeal has made her feel so much more appreciative of her body.
When asked if she feels comfortable with the scar from her kidney transplant, she responded:
"I do. I didn't, but I do now. It was really hard in the beginning. I remember looking at myself in the mirror completely naked and thinking about all the things that I used to bitch about and just asking, "Why?" I had someone in my life for a very long time who pointed out all the things that I didn't feel great about with myself. When I look at my body now, I just see life. There are a million things I can do -- lasers and creams and all that stuff -- but I'm OK with it. And by the way, there's nothing wrong with [plastic surgery]. Cardi B has been my inspiration lately. She's killing it, and she is proud of everything she has done. So there is absolutely zero judgment on my end. I just think for me, it could be my eyes, my round face, my ears, my legs, my scar. I don't have perfect abs, but I feel like I'm wonderfully made."
The pop star explained that almost losing her body is what made her appreciate how precious it was, and it was also what allowed her to inhabit in a way that she never had before.
"I just kept thinking about how much my body is my own. Ever since I was 7, my life always felt like I was giving it to someone else. I felt really alone even though I had a lot of great people around me. But the decisions I was making, were they ever for me? [After the surgery] I had this sense of gratitude for myself. I don't think I've ever just stopped and been like, "I'm actually grateful for who I am."
Nowadays, the singer is an inspiration. Having just won Billboard's coveted "Woman of the Year" award, as well as gotten back together with her first love, both her professional and personal life appear to be at an all-time high. But what is most impressive about the singer is how, at such a young age and in such a tumultuous industry, she's managed to find inner peace and prioritize her own happiness.
"I don't know how to explain the place that I'm in other than to say I just feel full," she says. "I want to live a life that's worth living."
Sounds like she certainly is.
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