Los Angeles [US], June 26 : Model Bella Hadid has shared an emotional update about living with Lyme disease, as she opened up about the physical pain and mental struggles she is currently facing during flare-ups of her chronic illness.
According to PEOPLE magazine, on Thursday, June 25, the 29-year-old took to her Instagram stories and spoke about the pain, exhaustion, anxiety, brain fog, infections, and trauma she experiences during flare-ups. She said these symptoms often leave her feeling isolated and can lead to depression, especially when they continue for a long time.
Bella said it is difficult to explain what living with a chronic illness feels like. She shared that even after trying different treatments, reading about her condition, and looking for answers, she still faces setbacks.
According to PEOPLE, she wrote, "Especially when you try anything you can. You demand answers that no one can find. You fight. You finally have a few good days. You think you've found the right protocol, the right routine, the right treatment... and then a flare-up comes back and all of a sudden nothing feels certain again."
The model also said that flare-ups often force her to cancel plans because she never knows how she will feel from one day to the next.
"You wake up with anxiety already living in your body. Physical pain before your feet even touch the floor.... And somehow, you still have to find the strength to move through another day in a body and mind that are completely exhausted," she wrote.
Bella went on to add that she has learned to hide many of her feelings because people who have never lived with a chronic illness may not fully understand what it is like. At the same time, she offered words of support to others going through similar struggles.
"There is light, even if you can't see it today... There is hope," she wrote.
The model also shared how she reminds herself that healing takes time and is not always a straight path.
"As so many have said... I have to remind myself that healing isn't linear... I believe God puts before us, somehow, only what we are capable of carrying, even when we don't understand why at the time," she wrote.
In another post, Bella shared that small moments still bring her happiness. Posting a photo of herself in a Star Wars-themed robe, she joked, "Although this Barefoot Dreams kids poncho does make everything a li[ttle] better."
She also thanked her team behind her perfume brand, , saying their support during difficult times makes her emotional.
Bella later posted a tearful selfie and revealed that the latest flare-up has been especially difficult. She said she had slept for 11 hours, kept taking naps, and still felt unwell despite following every treatment suggested by her doctors.
"Took every protocol from any and every doctor I've seen. Still nothing helping," she wrote as per the publication.