Model opens up about mum’s devastating disease

Gigi Hadid's career has skyrocketed in recent months, with catwalk appearances for Marc Jacobs, Chanel and Sonia Rykiel among others. But the model's personal life has not been quite so positive of late, as she has watched her mother struggling with deteriorating health.

Gigi's mum Yolanda Foster, known for her work on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, recently revealed that her three-year battle with Lyme Disease has been getting increasingly difficult, since a relapse of her symptoms occurred in early December.

In an emotional blog post, Yolanda opened up about the terrifying symptoms of her illness, which took a year to diagnose "I have lost the ability to read, write, or even watch TV, because I can't process information or any stimulation for that matter," the 51-year-old wrote to fans. "It feels like someone came in and confiscated my brain and tied my hands behind my back to just watch and see life go by without me participating in it."

Lyme Disease can usually be treated quickly if caught early, but if left untreated can affect the brain and nervous system.

Although Gigi's modelling work means she can't be at home as much as she would like, the young model says she keeps in touch with her mother daily. "We try to call her and FaceTime her with what's going on and keep her feeling like she's not too far away," the 19-year-old told Us Weekly.

"I think that she kind of looks forward to it," she said. "Right now she's going through a lot, so even a little FaceTime once in a while helps."

Sounds like a tough time – our thoughts are with Yolanda and her family.