Bella Hadid opens up about living with Lyme disease

The supermodel admits balancing gratitude with chronic illness is difficult but says she keeps pushing forward despite it.

Bella Hadid has shared an emotional reflection on what it is like to live with a chronic illness, opening up about how a recent flare up has affected both her body and her mental health.
The supermodel, who was diagnosed with Lyme disease at the age of 16, posted images of herself crying as she described struggling through the flare up. She began by explaining how intimidating it can be to make others understand her condition, saying it often leads to severe isolation and depression, especially over long stretches of time.
She described the emotional cycle that comes with chronic illness, writing that you demand answers no one can find, fight through it, finally have a few good days, and start to believe you have found the right routine or treatment, only for a flare up to return and make everything feel uncertain again. She admitted that she finds it difficult to make plans because she never knows how she will feel from one day to the next, explaining that she often wakes up with anxiety and physical pain before her feet even touch the floor, and has to find the strength to move through the day regardless.
Hadid said she sometimes copes by masking what she is feeling, adding that unless someone has lived through something similar, or loved someone who has, it can be hard to fully understand. She also extended support to others going through comparable struggles, writing that there is light even when it feels hard to see, and that there is hope.
She reflected on the tension between gratitude and difficulty, saying she feels deep gratitude for her life but that having more difficult days than good ones makes it hard to find joy or a reason to even go outside, adding that she and others like her keep trying anyway. She closed her initial post with words of encouragement for anyone facing similar battles, telling them they are loved, needed, and that their life has purpose.
In further posts, Hadid continued sharing intimate reflections on her health, including how something as simple as bathing can be difficult without fainting.
According to the Mayo Clinic, Lyme disease is an infection caused by Borrelia bacteria and is spread through the bite of infected blacklegged, or deer, ticks.
This is a sensitive topic, and if you or someone you know is dealing with the emotional toll of chronic illness, it can help to talk to a doctor or mental health professional about it.