Yolanda Hadid Opens Up About Her (and Bella’s) Struggle with Lyme Disease

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Gigi and Bella don’t need last names attached to them for you to know who I’m talking about, and neither does their mother, Yolanda. Between their combined reach and relatability factor, the world is on a first-name basis with the family of supermodels, hence why it feels like I’m old friends with the Hadid matriarch as I’m sitting with her in a quiet corner of Barnes & Noble Tribeca, despite having never met. It’s the last day of New York Fashion Week and she’s in town to spend time with her daughters between shows and do press for her new memoir, Believe Me: My Battle with the Invisible Disability of Lyme Disease. The pages place a spotlight on her uncovered findings regarding the chronic disease she’s managed to navigate, and while there’s still no cure, she’s heroically prevailed and raised awareness about the unknown difficulties of the illness over the course of her years in the public eye.

“I had no road map. I didn’t know anything about Lyme disease,” Hadid tells me when I ask what compelled her to write this book. “I learned by trial and error, and spent a lot of time and money trying a lot of different things.” If you followed along during Hadid’s seasons on reality television, you might’ve seen her try everything from various alternative medicine treatments to removing her old mercury-based dental fillings and silicone breast implants—fighting for her life. During those times, her privilege was very apparent, but if there’s one thing you need to know about the entire Hadid family, it’s that they’re humble to the core. “I struggled with the fact that I was able to afford all these treatments, yet there are millions of people out there that can’t do that,” she says. But that’s why this book is so important to her: to share her learnings with the world. “I never understood why God gave me such a big platform, but the more spiritual I became, the clearer I saw that writing my story was the higher purpose of my journey,” she says. Keep reading for our entire conversation.

CR: How did it feel to write your story?

Yolanda Hadid: I wrote this a year and a half ago when I was still pretty sick. And you know, I checked my ego at the door four or five years ago, but when I finally had the book in my hands just two weeks ago, I was kind of shocked by how much I shared. In the moment, when I did it, it felt so hugely important. For example, the pictures. You can tell somebody but it’s not until you see a photo of a breast implant that’s ruptured and what it can actually do to your body that it really brings a story home. In California, there are young teenagers that get implants as a graduation gift, and I just felt like it was my duty to share the information that I have gathered. I hope that people think twice before they have implants, now.

CR: So, how are you feeling today?

YH: I feel great! I love New York like a fish to water, and I feel stimulated and motivated to continue this journey. Like I say every day, I hope that when I leave this planet, there will be a cure for everybody and that it’s affordable for everybody. We need changes with the CDC (Center for Disease Control). We need the government to take a really good look at what is going on. The first case of Lyme disease was diagnosed in 1975 and we’re now in 2017 and we still don’t have a cure. There’s something wrong with this picture.

CR: For those who don’t understand it completely, can you explain how it feels to have Lyme disease? You’re feeling well today, but until there’s a cure, it depends on the day or the week or the month?

YH: When you’re chronically ill, one year after the other, you have good days and bad days. And trust me, during the good moments, you want to scream to the world, “Oh my god, I had a good two hours in my day!” But it’s very much an up-and-down situation. It severely attacks your immune system, and you always feel sluggish and tired with joint pain and brain fog. There are so many symptoms and it’s extremely different for everybody.

CR: You’ve mentioned that Bella and Anwar have Lyme disease? How does it affect them?

YH: It affects their everyday life. They’re not normal teenagers, but they’re young and they push through it. They have extraordinary work ethics. Bella, even when she has a bad day, she pushes through it. She’s really good on a holistic protocol—she does her IVs, she rests when she needs to rest. You learn to juggle with what you have. It becomes your new normal, but that’s not good enough, and it’s my duty as their mom to one day, hopefully provide a cure.

CR: You speak so frequently about how your kids are your motivation to keep pushing. You must be unbelievably proud of your daughters.

YH: Yes. It’s a beautiful moment in our lives. We’ve gone through such a hard time as a family unit, and they’ve literally carried me to the finish line. They deserve all the success that’s coming at them. They’re hard-working girls, they love what they do, and they’re just picking the fruits of their own hard work.

CR: It’s clear—especially among editors who work with them—that they’re some of the hardest-working, kindest young women in the industry.

YH: I always say that that there are millions of girls that are much more beautiful than they are. The only way to set yourself apart is to be kind, polite, and the hardest-working girl on set every day.

CR: How great was the Anna Sui moment when they closed the show together?

YH: It was beautiful, and that’s their sisterhood. They cry together, they fight, they make up, but sisters are forever. They have this bond that’s unbreakable, and seeing them on the runway helping each other out is so cute.

CR: Lastly, tell us about your new show on Lifetime!

YH: I think it’s going to be great! I mean, I hope it’s going to be great. It’s about the making of a model—it’s not just about models. For me, it was really important to have the whole spiritual part around it, as well, and have a look at the mother-daughter relationship and how to build from there. Because once these girls become famous, running around, what keeps them grounded and anchored is really the mom. And there’s nothing more important in life than your relationship with your parents—especially your mom.

Believe Me: My Battle with the Invisible Disability of Lyme Disease is now available for purchase at Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

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