When Yolanda Hadid was first hit on and off by symptoms of Lyme disease, she paid little attention to the gravity of the situation. “You know … when this flu just hits you like a truck? Like joint pain, tired,flu-ish, coughing.” Hadid recalled in an interview with People. “I was in this crazy stage of my life where it’s just juggling a hundred things at once and just hard-headed pushing through whatever symptoms I had until one day it just knocked me out.”
It cost Hadid a fortune to find the exact combination of treatments that would alleviate her pain. Between supplements, chiropractor fees, ozone therapy, magnetic stimulation, setting up an in-house laboratory, and even stem-cell therapy, Hadid was projected to have spent a figure in the neighborhood of $150,000.
The disease took a toll on her body physically — leading to a lot of bed rest — but it also affected her mental health to the point of suicidal ideation. In her book, “Believe Me: My Battle with the Invisible Disability of Lyme Disease,” Hadid recounted self-harm thoughts she had during a visit to Florida: “God please just take me away in a wave. I can’t live like this one more day. Please carry my body away. I just want to disappear.”
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
