Selena Gomez reveals new tattoo commemorating her kidney transplant surgery
Singer underwent surgery in 2017 due to organ damage caused by lupus
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Your support makes all the difference.Selena Gomez has given fans a glimpse at her new tattoo for the first time.
On Saturday, the singer shared a series of behind-the-scenes photos from the music video shoot of the title track from her first album in four years, Rare.
“So my rare video is out! So I’m posting a few pics from that day,” she captioned the images.
In one of the photos, Gomez is pictured with her arms raised above her head. A date tattoo is clearly visible just above her right elbow, however only the first number, six, can be identified.
The tattoo can also be spotted at the beginning of the music video for the new song, which is set in a whimsical garden.
While the tattoo isn’t fully clear, Gomez has previously confirmed that it features the date of her kidney transplant, which took place in 2017. The number six possibly indicates that the transplant occurred in June.
In an interview with Capital FM in December, Gomez revealed the meaning behind her new arm tattoo.
“I actually got the date of when I got my kidney transplant,” she said, gesturing towards her right arm.
“And I did that with the girl that gave me her kidney.”
In September 2017, the "Good For You" singer revealed that she had received a kidney transplant from her friend Francia Raisa following organ damage caused by the autoimmune disease lupus, which she has battled for several years.
At the time, Gomez shared a photo of herself and Raisa holding hands from their hospital beds as well as photos of her stomach following the surgery.
“There aren’t words to describe how I can possibly thank my beautiful friend Francia Raísa,” Gomez wrote on Instagram.
“She gave me the ultimate gift and sacrifice by donating her kidney to me. I am incredibly blessed. I love you so much sis.”
In an interview on the Today Show in October 2017, the musician added that her kidneys “were just done”.
“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."
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