She has spent an estimated $200,000 jetting across the world in search of every conceivable medical treatment to help with her crippling mystery symptoms.
But it was in 2012 that Yolanda Hadid, known as ‘Yo’, was finally diagnosed with chronic neurological Lyme disease at a Belgian clinic.
The Dutch-American model and TV personality, 60, hoped a 90-day course of IV antibiotics would deliver a cure, but that was false hope for anyone in the late stages of chronic Lyme.
The years ahead proved to be the toughest but with the support of her three children, models Gigi, 29, Bella, 27, and Anwar, 25, Yolanda vowed to take her story public and fought passionately for others who could not afford the many high-cost and exotic treatments she sought out in her search for a cure.
Both Bella and Anwar also suffer from the disease, which has impacted swathes of A-listers in recent years.
Yolanda Hadid has spent an estimated $200,000 jetting across the world in search of every conceivable medical treatment to help with her crippling mystery symptoms
But it was in 2012 that Yolanda, known as ‘Yo’, was finally diagnosed with chronic neurological Lyme disease at a Belgian clinic
The years ahead proved to be the toughest but with the support of her three children, models Gigi, 29, Bella, 27, and Anwar, 25, (all pictured in 2015) Yolanda vowed to take her story public
Stars who have also battled Lyme include Justin Bieber, Shania Twain, Avril Lavigne, Ben Stiller, Alec Baldwin and comic Amy Schumer – and recently, Serena Williams’ husband Alexis Ohanian.
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection spread by ticks and can cause general flu-like symptoms, including fatigue, headache, swollen joints and a fever, which can last for a few weeks, but for reasons not yet understood, some patients suffer for years.
Yolanda’s long journey to uncover the truth of her condition began in 2012, when her symptoms became unbearable.
She opted for a 12-day rest at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. It was there they did an endoscopy, colonoscopy, upper panendoscopy with biopsy, PET scan, EEG, MRI of her brain, spinal tap and many blood tests.
‘Despite this army of top health experts, no one can give me a proper diagnosis or a cause for my pain and symptoms,’ Yolanda wrote in her memoir of the uncertain time.
‘We have access to the best medical minds out there, but it doesn’t mean anything if they don’t have the right diagnostic tools or knowledge.’
An infectious disease doctor at Cedars suggested Yolanda’s symptoms seemed like Lyme disease, but the test results were negative.
She began taking huge amounts of supplements in a bid to cleanse her body and keep it healthy – a trait soon adopted by daughter Bella also.
The Dutch-American model TV personality, 60, hoped a 90-day course of IV antibiotics would deliver a cure, but that was false hope for anyone in the late stages of chronic Lyme
Yolanda pictured with daughters Gigi and Bella – who also suffers from Lyme
Yolanda began taking huge amounts of supplements in a bid to cleanse her body and keep it healthy (pictured)
Yolanda tried out a hyperbaric chamber (pictured) – where the air pressure is increased two to three times higher than normal air pressure so the lungs can gather much more oxygen than would be possible normally
Yolanda was sent home with a diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome – but she was unsatisfied by the lack of information.
This was the beginning of her journey around the world in search of a doctor who could find a cure for her illness.
Yolanda went first to Belgium, where doctors found high levels of heavy metals in her blood and an active infection in her brain as well as co-infections.
She learned that the Lyme tests in the US weren’t sensitive enough to pick up chronic Lyme and endured ninety days of IV antibiotics.
Yolanda’s next trip to the doctor’s came from a tip from Susanne Somers who suggested a clinic in Florida, Sponaugle Wellness Institute. She signed up for it in 2013 after already battling severe toxic reactions for eighty days, spending twelve days in the hospital and three trips to the emergency room.
At Sponaugle, treatments included IV drips to pull out the debris of dead bugs, ozone treatments – which is where ozone gas is introduced to the body, colonics, coffee enemas and more.
Yolanda was sent home with a diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome – but she was unsatisfied by the lack of information
This was the beginning of her journey around the world in search of a doctor who could find a cure for her illness
Yolanda (picturd with her plethora of supplements) went first to Belgium, where doctors found high levels of heavy metals in her blood and an active infection in her brain as well as co-infections
Yolanda’s next trip to the doctor’s came from a tip from Susanne Somers who suggested a clinic in Florida, Sponaugle Wellness Institute
‘I can tell you that as much as I hate having a tube up my a**, I’m pretty sure that these colonics are one of my lifesavers’, Yolanda wrote in her memoir.
Yolanda’s son Anwar soon tested positive for Lyme.
Yolanda’s next medical exploration took her to Switzerland, where she had ozone therapy again yet this time directly into the vein. She also underwent acupuncture, as well as hypothermia – where an IV was put in the arm and a thermometer in her butt and her head wrapped in silver foil blankets. This was all while she was in a closed device to elevate the body temperature to 103 degrees.
Yolanda moved on to yet more doctors as treatments failed to help, including a holistic health practitioner who used a high frequency healing device out of his garage in Malibu.
In late 2014, Yolanda saw a stem cell specialist in Korea for treatment.
Sharing news of her stem cell treatment in the November of that year, Yolanda wrote on Instagram: ‘I am driven & motivated to think outside the box and recognize the diverse points of views in global medicine not only to cure myself but to pave the way for all my fellow Lymies battling this poorly acknowledged debilitating disease.’
Months later in January 2015, Yolanda flew out to Singapore for more experimental treatments – this time at Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital.
Then in April, an Australian doctor practising in Tijuana, Mexico, came to her hotel room at 10pm to give her intramuscular injections of holistic remedies. She also received more ozone therapy while there.
That same month, Yolanda tried out a hyperbaric chamber – where the air pressure is increased two to three times higher than normal air pressure so the lungs can gather much more oxygen than would be possible normally. This extra oxygen helps fight bacteria.
April was treatment-filled, as during that month Yolanda also had colon hydrotherapy, a cleansing process which removes toxins and boosts energy or the immune system, at Gentle Wellness Center in Santa Monica.
Yolanda even later visited a shaman in Peru who used a hot stick to burn holes on the inside of her ankles into which he pasted frog venom.
Another treatment tried out by Yolanda towards the end of 2015 included low-dose immune therapy – a method of desensitisation which blocks immune reactions to foods, inhalants or environmental chemicals.
More treatments included Epsom salt baths, lymphatic drainage massage and a full body scan – which revealed free-floating silicone in her body from broken breast implants.
This led Yolanda to decide they needed to come out in order to rid her body of toxins.
In late 2014, Yolanda saw a stem cell specialist in Korea for treatment (pictured)
Months later in January 2015, Yolanda flew out to Singapore for yet more experimental treatments – this time at Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital (pictured)
Then in April, Yolanda received yet more ozone therapy in Tijuana, Mexico (pictured)
Yolanda had another hyperbaric chamber treatment (pictured) – where the extra oxygen helps fight bacteria
Sharing the news on Instagram in January 2016 via a picture of her in a hospital bed, Yolanda wrote: ‘❤️I am not afraid for you to see me for who I really am and what my days are really like……
‘I have learned to love every part of me without apology! Happy selfie-sad selfie, good days – bad days, with make up-no make up, boobs- no boobs.
‘I can only hope that by sharing this not so glamorous journey, the millions of doubted & neglected Lyme sufferers will gain medical recognition of their illness and the appropriate treatment affordable for all. This is not a pity party, just reality with good intent.’
A year later, there were yet more doctors and she had TVAM surgery – a procedure where a catheter is threaded up through the groin into the jugular vein and both sides of the carotid artery in order to stretch them out.
Also vocal about her struggles with the disease has been Yolanda’s daughter Bella – who has suffered with Lyme since the early 2010s.
But the model shared last summer that she was ‘finally healthy’ after over a decade of struggles and treatments, including ‘100+ days of Lyme, chronic disease, [co-infection] treatment [and] almost 15 years of invisible suffering.’
Bella went on to share about how her younger self that suffered all those years ‘would be so proud of grown me for not giving up on myself.’
She also shared her gratitude for her mother being there during those tough times.
‘Thankful to my mommy for keeping all of my medical records, sticking by me, never leaving my side, protecting, supporting, but most of all, believing me through all of this,’ she wrote with obvious emotion to her words.’
Yolanda decided to have her breast implants removed in order to rid her body of toxins (pictured)
Also vocal about her struggles with the disease has been Yolanda’s daughter Bella (pictured in hospital) – who has suffered with Lyme since the early 2010s
Another treatment tried out by Yolanda towards the end of 2015 included low-dose immune therapy (pictured)
LDI is a method of desensitisation which blocks immune reactions to foods, inhalants or environmental chemicals (pictured)
The telltale symptoms of Lyme Disease that no one should ignore…
A rash
A rash is one of the most obvious signs of Lyme disease to look out for.
The erythema migrans (EM) rash, often referred to as a bull’s-eye rash due to its red circular rings, should be treated straight away, says the charity Lyme Disease UK.
However, the rash doesn’t always present in the same way, especially on darker skin, and a third of people do not develop a rash at all.
It can also not take on a ring shape and instead have a solid or bruise-like appearance.
The behaviour of any rash after a tick bite is the most important thing to be aware of, warns Lyme Disease UK.
An EM rash takes at least three days, and in some cases up to three months, to appear.
It generally isn’t itchy, painful, or hot, and gradually spreads outwards.
However, if you have redness or itchiness immediately after a tick bite is usually a histamine reaction.
The erythema migrans (EM) rash, often referred to as a bull’s-eye rash due to its red circular rings, should be treated straight away, says the charity Lyme Disease UK
Flu-like symptoms
Not everyone develops a rash.
Some people experience flu-like symptoms.
Often likened to a ‘summer flu’, Lyme Disease UK says some people can get headaches, a stiff neck, muscle pain and fatigue.
Some small children may also have behavioural changes as they are unable to articulate how they are feeling, the charity adds.
If Lyme disease is left untreated or if it is not treated early on, weeks, months or even years later more serious symptoms can develop.
Pain and swelling in the joints, known as inflammatory arthritis, is one of the more serious symptoms that can follow Lyme disease, according to the government website.
Muscle and joint pain can also be felt just weeks or days after getting tick bite, the NHS says.
Facial paralysis
More serious symptoms can develop if Lyme disease is left untreated.
Drooping on one side of the face or a weakness of your facial muscles is another indication of an infection.
That’s because the bacteria that causes Lyme disease can also damage the nervous system, including the facial nerve.
Weakness or a paralysis of the facial muscles can be seen in someone infected by Lyme disease and it usually affects on side of the face, according to the charity Facial Palsy UK.
This symptom is especially common in children, says Lyme Disease UK.
Some people can also experience shooting nerve pains.
This pain can feel sharp or prickly and follow the course of the nerve, according to the government website.
Memory problems
Being forgetful and struggling to concentrate are also later symptoms of the disease.
The bacteria that causes Lyme disease can not only cause numbness and nerve pain, but also memory problems and difficulty concentrating, according to the government website.
If the disease is treated early on it is less likely you will suffer with memory problems.
In the early stages Lyme disease it can cause conjunctivitis making your eyes bloodshot, irritated and swollen
Eye problems
Blurry vision could be a sign of Lyme disease.
The Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria that causes Lyme disease can also change your vision, according to the charity Guide Dogs UK.
People can experience floaters and inflammation typically in the late stages of the disease.
However. this vision change can be temporary and can improve or resolve with treatment of the disease.
In the early stages the disease can cause conjunctivitis making your eyes bloodshot, irritated and swollen.
Due to the neurological effects of the infection, it can cause twitching anywhere on the body including the eyes.
The charity also highlights a more rare eye symptom, known as optic neuritis.
This is where the optic nerve becomes inflamed, which can lead to severe eye pain and vision loss, but experts say it is unclear how Lyme disease directly causes this to happen.
