Hailey Bieber Defends Justin Bieber From Those ''Belittling'' Lyme Disease Diagnosis

The model also expressed gratitude to Yolanda Hadid and her daughters Bella and Gigi for their help in guiding the couple through Justin's recent health struggles.

By McKenna Aiello Jan 09, 2020 1:43 AMTags
Watch: Justin Bieber Confirms His Lyme Disease Diagnosis

In sickness and in health. 

Hailey Bieber isn't taking Justin Bieber's Lyme disease diagnosis lightly, sharing support for her husband in a series of tweets posted hours after he announced the news publicly. 

"For those who are trying to downplay the severity of Lyme disease," the model hit back, "Please do your research and listen to the stories of people who have suffered with it for years. Making fun of and belittling a disease you don't understand is never the way, all it takes is educating yourself." 

Lyme disease is an infection commonly contracted through tick bites. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 300,000 cases of Lyme are reported each year, and if left untreated, can spread throughout the heart, joints and the nervous system. 

Hailey, 23, then thanked fellow celebrity sufferers of Lyme disease like Yolanda Hadid and Avril Lavigne

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Justin Bieber Reveals He Is ''Overcoming'' Lyme Disease Diagnosis

"I wanna say a huge thank you to @YolandaHadid and @bellahadid and @GiGiHadid for bringing me so much clarity and information on Lyme disease and for helping answer my questions about course of action, symptoms etc," she tweeted, referencing Yoland's daughters Bella Hadid and Gigi Hadid. "Love you 3 amazing women!"

She continued, "... and sending so much love to @AvrilLavigne thank you for all you do to educate people about Lyme. You're amazing."

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Avril, who says she spent two years bedridden while battling the illness, responded on Twitter, "Thank you @haileybieber for your kind words. So sorry to hear about @justinbieber having to go through this awful disease. The fact that it's hard to diagnose and is so debilitating was something I suffered through also."

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Yolanda documented her own struggle with Lyme in her 2017 memoir, Believe Me. Shortly after her own diagnosis in 2011, Bella and Yolanda's son Anwar Hadid also learned that they too had contracted the tick-borne illness. 

Gigi discussed her family's health issues with Elle in 2019, telling the publication, "Growing up, having three of my family members sick made me very independent. My mom couldn't drive or get out of bed some days, so I took my brother to school with me, or I made lunch. But I also felt a lot of guilt for being the one person in the family who didn't understand what they were going through. It's hard when your whole family is in pain and you don't know what to do."

Meanwhile, Bieber's experience with the chronic illness will be featured in his upcoming YouTube docu-series

"It's been a rough couple years but getting the right treatment that will help treat this so far incurable disease and I will be back and better than ever," the pop star shared online. 

He also responded to his critics, tweeting, "I see a lot of people on here just creating lies and saying that they hope I lose in everything I do. Well I hope you all win. I hope everything you want in life happens for you. Regardless of how you feel about me I send back love."