Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Yolanda Foster, mom to models Gigi Hadid, Bella Hadid and son Anwar, has been battling lyme disease for some time. She’s been very public about her illness, she often posts selfies from bed, and she’s claimed that Bella and Anwar (not Gigi, the most famous one) also suffer from the tick borne virus. A few weeks ago, she Instagrammed photos of her two youngest children’s medication for lyme, which she first stated they were diagnosed with in early 2012. In a new post to her Bravo blog, Yolanda claims that the teens were diagnosed at the end of 2013. I really don’t understand how she could fudge the dates that much, but maybe she’s confused.
Yolanda had some people rolling their eyes when she said that Bella, 19, and Anwar, 16, had lyme too. The teens have gone to events with Yolanda and they look fine, plus Bella is an active model, so some people assumed Yolanda was projecting her own health issues on them. In fact the children’s father, Mohamed Hadid, allegedly said that Bella and Anwar are fine. At least that’s what Yolanda’s RHOBH costar Lisa Vanderpump claimed on the episode which aired yesterday. In response to Lisa’s claims’ Mohamed Instagrammed a statement which said, in part “I do not wish to make public my family’s private matters, but I would like to make it clear that I completely and unequivocally support my children and their mother,” which is nice but doesn’t actually clarify the issue. He supports Yolanda, he doesn’t say if he thinks she’s right. (Not that he would know for sure, I’m just saying he doesn’t really explain it.) Mohamed also wrote that he said the children were doing “fine” when asked and that was probably what was misconstrued.
Anyway Yolanda had some things to say about her kids’ health and she posted to her Bravo blog about it and defended Bella particularly, Instagramming a photo of Bella with an IV in her arm and writing that Bella had to give up a potential career horseback career because of the effects of lyme.
After the episode, Foster fired back against Vanderpump’s claims on her Bravo TV blog.
“Still, I am the subject of conversation amongst ‘friends.’ Looks like I got out of dodge right on time at that barbecue,” she wrote. “I have nothing to prove and know that my journey is public due to the job I’ve chosen as a Housewife, but I can’t accept something so delicate as my children’s health being talked about in such a way.”
Foster went on to note that she’s been working with her children’s father the entire time to ensure they have the proper care.
“With Mohamed’s support, I have managed my children’s healthcare on a daily basis since the day they were born,” she wrote. “It is up to no one but us to make claims toward their health status. Shame on those who think it’s OK to spread rumors and provoke doubt about something so heart wrenching.”
Though 19-year-old Bella has gone on to have a blossoming career in modeling, Foster revealed that her daughter has already let go of one dream due to her disease.
“Bella had to give up her lifelong dream of having a professional riding career and a shot at the Olympics due to her severe symptoms and inability to ride,” Foster noted. “This was the biggest heartbreak of her life and an extremely sensitive subject for her.”
As I’ve mentioned several times, I had lyme about 12 years now and it was devastating. It’s a disease that’s very poorly understood, is difficult to test for, and affects so many systems of the body so many people and even doctors assume you’re faking. Plus it waxes and wanes so you have days when by outward appearances you’re fine and then the next day you’re laid up exhausted. However I see the other side of it too, because Yolanda is constantly posting sickbed selfies. She wants to raise awareness and she’s a reality star, I get that part, but I also understand the criticism that she’s pushing her illness on her kids. It’s particularly strange that she’s changing her story about the date they were diagnosed.
However, it’s not that much of a stretch to think that her kids could get lyme too especially if they’re active outdoors and/or they have pets bringing ticks into the house. I’m not a social media person and I’m really guarded about all that so my initial response is to tell Yolanda to stop posting selfies from bed. She’s not helping her cause by posting sick photos constantly.
It’s unknown when that photo was taken but Bella seems to be ok now. People can and do recover from lyme so this isn’t evidence that she didn’t/doesn’t have it. She walked in the Chanel show with her sister, Gigi.
photo credit: WENN, Getty and Yolanda Foster/Instagram
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