Bella Hadid is back in the hospital as she continues her long battle with Lyme disease, and her mom Yolanda Hadid is opening up about the pain of watching her daughter fight through it.
“You are a survivor,” Yolanda wrote in a heartfelt Instagram tribute on Thursday, calling the 27-year-old model “relentless and courageous.”
In her post, the former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star said that “watching my Bella struggle in silence” has left her with “the deepest core of hopelessness.” She described Lyme as an “invisible disability” that’s tough to explain and even harder for others to understand.
“I try to lead by example on our Lyme journey, but my own pain cannot compare to watching my baby suffer,” Yolanda shared. “Hopefully soon I will share whatever we have learned and the places we have been with you and our Lyme community as soon as lab results reflect our victory.”
The proud mom praised Bella’s resilience after what she called “failing protocols and countless setbacks.” Speaking directly to her daughter, Yolanda wrote, “You didn’t really live, you learned how to exist inside the jail of your own paralyzed brain. I am so proud of the fighter that you are. You are not alone, I promise to have your back every step of the way, no matter how long this takes.” She closed her message with, “I love you so much my badass Warrior.”
Bella recently gave her fans a glimpse into her hospital stay too, posting photos of herself in bed with tears in her eyes, hooked up to tubes, and clutching a crocheted angel on her pillow. She also included lighter moments, like eating pizza, playing games with loved ones, and watching Netflix. “I’m sorry I always go MIA I love you guys,” she wrote in her caption, without explaining the reason for her hospitalization.
(@bellahadid)Bella, her younger brother Anwar, and Yolanda were all diagnosed with Lyme in 2012. Bella was just 16 at the time. Despite years of treatment, flare-ups have continued. Last year, she posted what she thought was a breakthrough, declaring herself “finally healthy” after struggling through years of fatigue, sadness, and confusion.
“Living in this state, worsening with time and work while trying to make myself, my family and the people who support me, proud, had taken a toll on me in ways I can’t really explain,” she wrote in August 2023. “To be that sad and sick with the most blessings/privilege/opportunity/love around me was quite possibly the most confusing thing ever. … If I had to go through all of this again, to get here, to this exact moment I’m in right now, with all of you, finally healthy, I would do it all again. It made me who I am today.”
Lyme disease is spread by blacklegged ticks and can cause headaches, fatigue, fever, joint stiffness, and muscle pain, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most cases are treated with antibiotics, but the Cleveland Clinic notes that some people suffer lingering symptoms even after treatment, a condition sometimes called post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome.
Bella hasn’t shared exactly how long she’ll be hospitalized this time, but Yolanda’s words made it clear her daughter’s fight is far from over.
