Bella Hadid Gets Candid About Her Health Struggles

Bella Hadid is giving us an update on her years-long health struggles.

On Sunday, the supermodel posted a lengthy post on Instagram getting candid about her battle with Lyme disease, stating that after almost "15 years of invisible suffering" and "100+ days of Lyme, chronic disease, co-infection treatment," she is "finally healthy." 

Hadid began the caption stating how proud she is of herself for not giving up and thanking her mom for staying by her side through it all. “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. "To be that sad and sick with the most blessings/privilege/opportunity/love around me was quite possibly the most confusing thing ever. One thing I want to express to you all is that 1: I am okay and you do not have to worry, and 2:I wouldn’t change anything for the world."

She continued, "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."

"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.

"Thank you for the patience of the incredible company’s that I work for, my supporters, and the people who continued to check in. My agents Jill and Joseph for protecting me. I love and appreciate you more than I can ever express," she continued. "Thank you to my genius Dr, and her INCREDIBLE team of nurses. I love you SO much!!!"

This is not the first time that Hadid has been transparent about her health struggles. In 2021, the 26-year-old posted a series of photos on Instagram of her with IV fluids, captioning it, "Living with a few chronic auto immune disorders =always finding time for my IVs."

Earlier this summer, rumors circulated that Hadid was put in rehab — considering the supermodel has also been transparent about her battle against developing a love for drinking. But in July, it was announced that Hadid was taking time off to deal with her health, especially after her Lyme disease flared up from a jaw infection earlier this year. 

"She is treating her Lyme disease," an insider told E! News. "She is not in rehab and has never had a drug or alcohol issue."

In multiple TikTok videos, the model has opened up about pushing through pain when working or stressed, and that the flare-ups are "why [she] hates looking in the mirror or taking pictures especially lately, truly wanting to throw up at the sigh of [herself] constantly," per the TikTok video.

Her diagnosis of Lyme disease runs in the family, as her brother Anwar and her mother Yolana also struggle with the sickness — something that the latter has been open about on episodes of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. What is Lyme disease exactly? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it's an illness caused by bacteria that is transmitted through the bites of infected ticks. 

"Typical symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, and a characteristic skin rash called erythema migrans. If left untreated, infection can spread to joints, the heart, and the nervous system," per the CDC. "[But] most cases of Lyme disease can be treated successfully with a few weeks of antibiotics."