Bella Hadid hospitalized for Lyme disease after 'countless setbacks,' mom Yolanda says in tribute to 'warrior' model daughter

Bella Hadid was recently hospitalized amid her struggle with Lyme disease, her mother, Yolanda, revealed in an Instagram post in which she called her “courageous.”

In an Instagram post shared on Thursday, Yolanda, a former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, reflected on how “watching my Bella struggle in silence” has fostered “the deepest core of hopelessness” within her.

“The invisible disability of chronic neurological Lyme disease is hard to explain or understand for anyone,” Yolanda wrote. “I try to lead by example on our Lyme journey, but my own pain cannot compare to watching my baby suffer. … 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.”

Yolanda, who is also mom to Gigi Hadid, went on to address Bella directly, calling her “relentless and courageous.”

“I admire your bravery and your willingness to keep fighting for health despite the failing protocols and countless setbacks you have faced,” she continued. “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.”

Yolanda, a Dutch former model, commended her daughter for fighting through another month of treatment.

“I pray for your speedy recovery my love,” she added. “You are a survivor … I love you so much my badass Warrior.”

Yolanda’s post comes after Hadid gave fans a health update of her own earlier this week, when she shared a series of photos on Instagram of her recent hospital stay. Included in the Instagram post is a photo of Hadid with tears in her eyes as she lies in her hospital bed, as well as pictures of her with medical tubes and a crocheted angel on her pillow. Other photos show Hadid eating pizza while watching Netflix, playing games with loved ones and crouched down on an elevator floor. Hadid, at the time, did not disclose the reason for her hospitalization.

“I’m sorry I always go MIA I love you guys,” read Hadid’s Instagram caption.

Bella Hadid during her recent hospitalization. (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Bella Hadid/Instagram)

Hadid — along with her mother and younger brother, Anwar — was diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2012. The Orebella founder was 16 years old at the time of her diagnosis.

Hadid previously updated fans about her battle with Lyme disease in 2023, when she declared herself “finally healthy.”

“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 on Instagram 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 a bacterial illness that people can contract if they are bitten by a blacklegged tick, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Symptoms typically include fatigue, fever, headache, joint stiffness and muscle aches and pains. The chronic illness is most common in the Northeast, mid-Atlantic and upper-Midwest regions of the United States.

Most cases of Lyme disease, according to the CDC, can be treated with antibiotics within 10 to 14 days of being bitten. The Cleveland Clinic acknowledged, however, that even after proper antibiotic treatment, some people may still experience lingering headaches, fatigue and achiness due to what’s known as post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS) or chronic Lyme disease.