Kirstie Haysman has been battling debilitating Lyme disease symptoms for nearly a decade, but says Bella Hadid openly talking about her diagnosis has finally given her optimism for recovery.
The 35-year-old was diagnosed with the chronic illness in 2013, after years of debilitating muscle and joint pain.
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that’s transmitted to humans through the bite of infected black-legged ticks, according to the CDC. If left untreated, the infection can spread to joints, the heart and the nervous system.
Supermodel Bella Hadid, 26, recently updated fans on her struggles with the chronic illness, saying she’s “finally healthy” after 15 years of “invisible suffering” from the disease.
Haysman, who lives in Hertfordshire in the UK, says she hasn’t been able to work since she first started feeling unwell.
“I started to get poorly about 10 years ago,” she explained to SWNS, saying initially doctors thought it could be lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. She was tested for those conditions in 2015, but they all came back negative.
“I was having fatigue and joint pain and muscle pain, and I just felt really poorly all the time,” she explained.
Haysman continued to search for answers, seeking out opinions from multiple doctors. She was prescribed different types of medication, including steroids, which she claims hindered her recovery.
“If I’d have had antibiotics instead of steroids from the start, I probably would never have had all this joint damage and I wouldn’t be bedbound now because it would have killed it early on,” she said.
Haysman has also been given different trial drugs over the years, which she said has affected her liver, kidneys and made her feel worse.
“I eventually ended up on methotrexate injections, which affected my liver enzymes and gave me these sort-of cysts all over my hands,” she said.
However, despite feeling optimistic about what the future holds, Haysman still believes Lyme disease is a “rich person’s” disease, as the same treatments aren’t available to her.
She added she doesn’t think it’s common or researched in the UK as it is in the US.
“Fortunately, Bella Hadid is not in the UK,” she quipped. “I just think the NHS doesn’t know enough about Lyme disease.”
“Plus, she’s got lots of money, so she can have nurses and things coming and give her antibiotics,” she added.
“I think it’s a rich person’s disease, because if you don’t have money and the NHS doesn’t want to treat it, you’re not left with a lot of options, really.”
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