Jazz Jennings is having a good gap year.
The I Am Jazz star announced in fall 2019 that she was taking a year off of school and
deferring her Harvard admission.
The 19-year-old recently told The New York Times,
"I decided to delay college so that I could focus on taking a deep breath with all of
the recent events of my life.
I just needed a year to focus on my mental well-being and get in the right head space.
I'm very glad I took a gap year and plan on starting school at Harvard in the fall."
It seems like she's doing just that.
The reality star announced in February 2020 that she had a third gender confirmation surgery,
saying that it went well.
She wrote in an Instagram post,
"I'm feeling so great after completing my third surgery!
This third procedure was for cosmetics, and I'm super happy with the results.
Thank you to everyone who has followed my journey and supported me along the way."
The fact that the surgery went so well came as a huge relief to Jennings and her family,
as Jennings' previous operation hadn't been so successful.
Jennings went under the knife for the first time in June 2018 at the age of 17, but things
didn't go as planned.
That October, she told ABC News,
"There was just an unfortunate event and setback where things did come apart, and there was
a complication.
I had to come back in for another procedure, but it was just all part of the journey."
"The good thing though is that it was only cosmetic and external so it wasn't too dramatic.”
“Your life was never in danger?”
“No."
Jennings felt thankful that her two surgeons, who she described as "incredible," supported
her the whole time and, quote, "took control over the matter."
"Well, Jazz, right from the start and through all of her complications has just had a fantastic
attitude."
In a clip from I Am Jazz, one of Jennings' doctors, Marci Bowers, admitted the first
surgery did not go as planned and turned out to be more difficult than they had imagined.
Bowers told Jennings,
"I think in hindsight we would have never sent you home from the hospital."
"Yeah, this has been a real journey, hasn't it? … mmhmm."
Jennings' father, Greg, wasn't as laid back about the complications as his daughter had
been.
He revealed that he's glad the doctors were honest, but disappointed that expectations
had not been met.
Thankfully, all seems well after this third surgery, and Jennings is on the road to recovery.
Jennings' brother, Sander, commented on her Instagram post, saying,
"Although this surgery was one of the scariest moments of my life, I am so glad I was there
to stick by your side the entire way."
In December 2019, Jennings took to Instagram to show off the surgery scars on her upper
thighs.
She wrote in her caption,
"I'm proud of my scars and love my body just the way it is.
I call them my battle wounds because they signify the strength and perseverance it took
to finally complete my transition."
Jennings hoped to inspire other people by showing the world her scars, telling The New
York Times,
"I hope that people appreciate the strength and perseverance it took to complete my transition
and have the courage to be body confident.
We all have bodies some are bigger, some are smaller, some have scars."
When asked if she has any regrets about having her first surgery done at such a young age,
Jennings said she had none, and explained,
"Even though I was young, I knew what I wanted and got the surgery right when I was meant
to.
Yes, experiencing the complications sucked, but it all worked out in the end."
Jennings added that gender confirmation is lifesaving and should be covered by insurance,
even though some people consider the procedure to be purely "elective."
She admitted,
"I disagree wholeheartedly.
Gender dysphoria is a real condition and this surgery saves lives.
It IS a necessity for so many transgender people and should absolutely be covered by
insurance.
So many trans people are suicidal due to the insecurities they feel being stuck in the
wrong body."
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