Believe Me ─ My Battle With the Invisible Disability of Lyme Disease

From the star of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills comes an emotional behind-the-scenes look at her descent into a medical nightmare.

In early 2011, just after her second wedding to David Foster, Yolanda Hadid fell ill. From an outspoken, multi-tasking celebrity she became an overnight recluse, descending into a thick, paralyzing cocoon. She lost the ability to read, write, or even watch television; suffered from severe fatigue, intense anxiety, insomnia, joint pain, Bell’s palsy, migraines, and intermittent total loss of eyesight. She sought answers that never seemed to come, and spoke to specialist after specialist. Her perfect marriage became strained; the precious family that she had always supported was breaking; her life was coming apart at the seams.

Then after months of unimaginable suffering, Yolanda was diagnosed with Lyme disease. Yet her suffering still grew, and doctors continued to dismiss her pain. That was when Yolanda realized she had a mission: to use her platform to bring relief to other sufferers being misdiagnosed and dismissed, as she was. She was honest, unapologetic, and raw in how she portrayed Lyme disease on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and on social media, and her children Bella, Anwar, and Gigi Hadid all helped her get the word out. In no time, she received thousands of e-mails, letters, and met families who were suffering, felt lost and scared. She would call, give advice, and lend support whenever she could.

Now, Yolanda shares intimate details of the darkness of her pain; how her relationships on camera and off have been affected by her illness; and how her children, two of whom are sufferers of Lyme as well, have been her reason to continue.