Bella posted a series of photos from a hospital bed, in which she appears hooked up to IVs, wearing oxygen in some shots, and generally looking weak and recovering. Some of the photos also show moments of calm: scenes through windows, sunsets, a double rainbow, etc. Bella was diagnosed with Lyme disease at age 16 (2012). Her mother Yolanda Hadid and her brother Anwar also have the condition. Yolanda described the disease as an “invisible disability” and expressed how painful it is to watch her daughter suffer when much of the struggle is hidden.
She also acknowledged a recent month of treatment that Bella has been undergoing, and the “countless setbacks” they’ve faced with treatments. Bella has not publicly confirmed exactly what caused this most recent hospitalization—whether it’s a flare-up of Lyme disease, complications, a co-infection, or something else. Lyme can cause long-term symptoms even after initial treatment; what Bella describes are consistent with chronic or neuro-Lyme symptoms. These often include neurological issues, extreme fatigue, pain, cognitive effects.
