Yolanda Foster, one of the stars of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and mom to model Gigi Hadid, announced her support for singer Avril Lavigne on Wednesday after Lavigne revealed to People Magazine that she’s battling Lyme Disease.
Foster tweeted a shoutout to Lavigne; the support comes one day after Foster left the set of the Real Housewives reunion because she became upset while talking about her struggle with the disease. The former model has opened up about her battle in the past, saying that she and her husband have traveled to South Korea in an attempt to find better treatment, as her condition has worsened over the years to the point where she can’t read, write, or watch television because it’s extremely difficult to process information. Foster reportedly contracted the disease after a bacterial infection spread throughout her body from a tick bite, the most common carrier.
“They have the freedom to work with stem cells,” Foster said of South Korea. “You can’t get those treatments here, and I think with Lyme it takes antibiotics but it also takes a lot of holistic treatment to balance it out.”
Love my friend and fellow Lyme warrior @AvrilLavigne for sharing her story #chroniclymedisease #WeMustFindACure #AffordableForAll
— YOLANDA (@YolandaHFoster) April 1, 2015
While many suffer from the disease–in various stages, it can bring fatigue, muscle pain, and cognitive issues among other ailments–a lot of people don’t know much about it or understand the problems it can cause. In the recent documentary The Punk Singer, former Bikini Kill singer Kathleen Hanna revealed that she was forced to put her career on hold because of her own battle with the disease and the issues she had with medications.
Foster wrote this week on her blog that she doesn’t know what the future holds for her, but she will continue to try to find a cure.
“The path forward isn’t completely clear. As I turn each corner, new obstacles arise, but I am a determined warrior, and even though this has brought me to my knees, I know God often uses our deepest pain as the launching pad of our greatest calling. So even though my life may not be perfect for now, I try to find a blessing in every day. Watching my children grow and establishing themselves into the world is my greatest joy and drive to continue to fight until I find my cure,” Yolanda Foster wrote.