Hadid's Lyme Journey
Bella Hadid Shares Ongoing Lyme Disease Struggle, Detailing Recent Flare-Up and Emotional Toll
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Key Points
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Hadid described a recent Lyme flare she could not shake: she slept 11 hours, was out of breath just walking to the kitchen, and worried that her brain cells aren't functioning, while noting she could still manage a shower without incident.
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She emphasized the unpredictable nature of Lyme disease, waking up with anxiety and physical pain before she can even stand, and that the condition often forces her to cancel plans because she never knows how she will feel from one day to the next.
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Hadid described the emotional toll—isolation and depression—and said it is intimidating to explain the wide range of symptoms; she notes many people don’t fully grasp what chronic illness entails and she has learned to mask her feelings.
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She was diagnosed with Lyme disease at age 16 in 2012, and the condition also affects her mother Yolanda Hadid and brother Anwar Hadid.
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Hadid has stressed that healing does not move in a straight line and that, despite hope and faith helping her cope, the ongoing ebb and flow of symptoms makes daily life unpredictable.
Bella Hadid, 29, went public this week with a raw account of a severe Lyme disease flare that left her sleeping 11 hours and gasping for breath on a walk to her kitchen. The supermodel, who has lived with the illness for nearly 15 years, said the episode was part of an unpredictable "ebb and flow" she navigates every day — and her candor drew an outpouring of support from her 59.3 million Instagram followers, according to Just Jared.
Hadid followed her initial posts with a thank-you message to fans, saying she was overwhelmed by their response. She also clarified she was not sounding an alarm — this is simply her reality, NewsBreak reported.
Sleeping 11 Hours and Breathless by the Kitchen
On June 25, 2026, Hadid shared a tearful selfie alongside a series of Instagram Stories describing the flare in blunt detail. She slept 11 hours and still woke up exhausted. Walking to the kitchen left her short of breath. She wrote that she worried her brain cells were "not functioning," though she noted she could manage a shower without fainting — a small win she called worth celebrating, according to Wonderwall.
She described waking up each morning with anxiety and physical pain before she can even stand. "I've learned to mask my feelings," she wrote. Hadid said the condition forces her to cancel plans constantly because she never knows how she will feel from one day to the next, NY Daily News reported.
A Family Diagnosis That Began at Age 16
Hadid was first diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2012, when she was 16 years old. She was not alone. Her mother, Yolanda Hadid, and her brother, Anwar Hadid, were diagnosed around the same time. The family has spoken about the illness for years, but Bella's June 2026 posts were among her most detailed accounts yet, according to NY Daily News.
In 2023, Hadid completed more than 100 days of intensive treatment for Lyme and related co-infections, announcing she was "finally healthy" — though she acknowledged the road ahead was long. Her latest flare makes clear the illness did not simply go away. About 14% of Lyme patients develop persistent symptoms even after early antibiotic treatment, according to a 2022 Northwestern University study.
The Emotional Weight of an Invisible Illness
Beyond the physical symptoms, Hadid described deep isolation and depression. She said it is intimidating to explain how many different symptoms Lyme can cause. Many people, she wrote, simply do not understand what chronic illness looks like from the inside. Hadid said she has spent years learning to appear fine even when she is not, according to Wonderwall.
Her posts touched on a broader tension that millions face with "invisible" illnesses — conditions that do not always show on the outside. Critics have pointed to her appearances at fashion events as proof she is not truly sick. Hadid pushed back directly, writing that the unpredictable nature of the disease means she can look healthy one day and be bedridden the next, Geo.tv reported.
Fan Outpouring Puts Chronic Lyme Advocacy in the Spotlight
The response to Hadid's posts was swift and largely supportive. Fans shared their own stories of chronic illness on Instagram and X, validating even her smallest victories — like the shower she did not faint in. Hadid thanked her supporters and her "beautiful team" for keeping her perfume brand, Orebella, moving forward while she is unable to work, according to Geo.tv.
An estimated 476,000 Americans are diagnosed and treated for Lyme disease each year, according to the CDC. High-profile advocates like Hadid keep pressure on researchers and policymakers to take chronic, post-treatment symptoms seriously. "Healing does not move in a straight line," she wrote — a line that resonated far beyond her own story, according to NewsBreak.
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