Believe Me: My Battle with the Invisible Disability of Lyme Disease

by Yolanda Hadid Narrated by Daisy White

Overview

This program includes an introduction and bonus interview with the author.

From the star of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills comes an emotional and eye opening behind-the-scenes look at her descent into uncovering the mystery of chronic Lyme disease.

In early 2011, Yolanda Hadid was struck by mysterious symptoms including brain fog, severe exhaustion, migraines and more. Over the months and years that followed, she went from being an outspoken, multi-tasking, hands-on mother of three, reality TV star, and social butterfly, to a woman who spent most of her time in bed. Yolanda was turned inside out by some of the country's top hospitals and doctors, but due to the lack of definitive diagnostic testing, she landed in a dark maze of conflicting medical opinions, where many were quick to treat her symptoms but could never provide clear answers to their possible causes.

In this moving, behind the scenes memoir, Yolanda opens up in a way she has never been able to in the media before. Suffering from late stage Lyme, a disease that is an undeniable epidemic and more debilitating than anyone realizes, Yolanda had to fight with everything she had to hold onto her life. While her struggle was lived publicly, it impacted her privately in every aspect of her existence, affecting her family, friends and professional prospects. Her perfect marriage became strained and led to divorce. It was the strong bond with her children, Gigi, Bella and Anwar, that provided her greatest motivation to fight through the darkest days of her life. Hers is an emotional narrative and all-important listen for anyone unseated by an unexpected catastrophe.

With candor, authenticity and an unwavering inner strength, Yolanda reveals intimate details of her journey crisscrossing the world to find answers for herself and two of her children who suffer from Lyme and shares her tireless research into eastern and western medicine. Believe Me is an inspiring lesson in the importance of having courage and hope, even in those moments when you think you can't go on.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Praise for Yolanda Hadid and Believe Me:

"Yolanda honestly shares her and her beloved family's serpentine path to recovery from chronic ailments that plague so many in America.” —Mehmet Oz, M.D., Professor of Surgery, NYP/Columbia

“Challenges are universal. How we face them is what defines us as people. In her inspiring new book, Yolanda shines a light on the puzzling, painful and debilitating reality of living with Lyme. It’s an inspiring story of courage and hope for those diagnosed with the fastest growing infectious disease in America. Her courage is a reminder to us all that with a positive attitude, grit, and the love of family, extraordinary things are possible.” —Tommy Hilfiger

"In the beginning of my Lyme journey, I felt so hopeless because it was mind blowing how many doctors did not acknowledge my symptoms and this disease until I was eventually diagnosed. Yolanda helped me through the initial process and got me to the specialists I needed to start my road to recovery." —Avril Lavigne, Singer/Songwriter

"Yolanda Hadid’s healing journey has led her to search far and wide for answers. Her will to never give up and find answers is an inspiring story for anyone who has been told that he or she has a serious, untreatable illness!" —Dr. Richard Horowitz, New York Times best-selling author of How Can I Get Better? An Action Plan for Treating Resistant Lyme and Chronic Disease

“A well-meaning and often compelling story of one woman's relentless pursuit of an effective treatment for the devastating chronic effects of Lyme disease that should expand public awareness for this deeply misunderstood condition.” —Kirkus Reviews

Kirkus Reviews

2017-07-04
A Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star recounts her arduous battle with Lyme disease.In this no-holds-barred memoir, Dutch-born former model and reality star Hadid tracks the debilitating symptoms that led to and progressively expanded beyond her eventual diagnosis for this chronic illness. In 2012, as filming was beginning for her first season on the Real Housewives and after having been misdiagnosed for close to two years, her condition became severe, dramatically curbing her professional and social lives and requiring prolonged periods of bed rest. The agonizing symptoms included intense joint pain and swelling, migraines, brain fog, blurred vision, and confronting an unseemly assortment of parasites. Over the next several years, Hadid's journey would evolve into a desperate search for effective treatments, if not an outright cure. She visited dozens of medical and holistic treatment facilities throughout the world and underwent countless tests and procedures. Through expansive research and experience, the author effectively leverages her celebrity status as a persuasive spokesperson communicating the hardships endured by multitudes of sufferers who lack the financial means or insurance coverage to explore these potential resources. Yet this is also a Hollywood celebrity story, and readers who may not be fans of the Real Housewives series, with its reputation for tabloid-provoking drama, might question Hadid's wisdom for having signed on to the program, feeling less sympathy for the intense media scrutiny that she and her family were forced to endure. Though her suffering has served as a grounding experience for the author to rise above the fray, it seems unlikely she or her children—two of whom were also diagnosed with Lyme disease—all celebrated runway models, are ready to step away from the limelight anytime soon. A well-meaning and often compelling story of one woman's relentless pursuit of an effective treatment for the devastating chronic effects of Lyme disease that should expand public awareness for this deeply misunderstood condition.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171924966
Publisher:	Macmillan Audio
Publication date:	09/12/2017
Edition description:	Unabridged

Videos