Bella Hadid gave fans an update on her ongoing struggle with Lyme disease by sharing old medical records and revealing that she underwent more than 100 days of treatment.
Hadid has previously been open about her struggle with the illness, which is a tick-borne disease that she was diagnosed with in 2012. Last month, Hadid said she was taking time off to focus on her treatments after a jaw infection caused a Lyme disease flareup earlier this year.
In a series of photos posted on Instagram, Hadid shared her health journey with vulnerable pictures of herself receiving treatments and resting at home with her dog.
“The little me that suffered would be so proud of grown me for not giving up on myself,” Hadid wrote in the caption, while also thanking her mom for her support and keeping her medical records. “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.”
In the first photo, Hadid shared medical records from 2014, when she was 17, in which her doctor wrote that Hadid had been sick “for more than 1 ½ years,” and that “she feels ill all the time and has memory problems.”
“To be that sad and sick with the most blessings/privilege/opportunity/love around me was quite possibly the most confusing thing ever,” Hadid continued in the caption. “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.”
Hadid said that she has “so much gratitude for and perspective on life” after completing “100+ days of treatment” and nearly “15 years of invisible suffering.”
“I tried to pick the most positive pictures I could because as painful as this experience was, the outcome was the most enlightening experience of my life filled with new friends, new visions and a new brain,” Hadid wrote.
Lyme disease is caused by bacteria transmitted to humans through tick bites, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Lyme disease can cause symptoms like fever, headache, fatigue, and the “bulls-eye” rash most commonly associated with the infection according to the CDC. Most cases of Lyme are treated with antibiotics, but the CDC notes that some patients experience persistent symptoms even after treatment. “The state of the science relating to persistent symptoms associated with Lyme disease is limited, emerging, and unsettled,” the CDC website says.
The supermodel thanked her team of doctors and nurses, along with her agents for “protecting me.”
Hadid continued: “I’ll be back when I’m ready. I miss you all so much. I love you all so much.”
Last week, Hadid’s sister Gigi Hadid revealed on her Instagram Story that Bella had “just finished a long and intense treatment for Lyme disease,” and that she was “so proud of her and excited for her comeback, whenever she feels ready.”
Bella, her younger brother Anwar Hadid, and their mother, Yolanda, were all diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2012. Yolanda shared her struggle with the illness while she was a cast member on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
Bella has been open about pushing through her symptoms in order to work, including her jaw infection in April that she said was caused by one of her teeth. The model spoke openly about continuing to work through the pain for months in multiple TikTok videos.
After sharing her health update, Hadid also posted photos with her “angel” dog “for never leaving my side not for one second.”
Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue
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