Bella Hadid, who suffers from Lyme disease, says she often feels judged over her condition. The 20-year-old model was honored at the Global Lyme Alliance gala in New York this week, and she took the time to acknowledge that many tend to judge others by their looks and not by the way they feel.

She stated: “Life isn’t always what it looks like from the outside, and the hardest part of this journey is to be judged by the way you look and not the way you feel.”

And her own mother, Yolanda, who also suffers from the condition, presented her with the award as she burst into tears.

She said: “It’s hard for people to understand the invisible disability that rules our life, especially behind the beautiful face that shines so bright on the cover of magazines.”

The 52-year-old mother’s biggest goal is to help find a cure for her daughter and everyone else who suffers from the disease.

“I promise you, I will find a cure … My love, just remember. You are not alone,” she told her daughter on stage.

Bella’s brother Anwar was also diagnosed, but thankfully their sister, Gigi Hadid, has escaped the condition.

Bella had recently taken to Instagram to speak up about Lyme disease and to praise her mom for coping with the pain.

She wrote: “I am so proud of my mom. I have seen you in bed, struggling for the past five years of our lives, thinking to myself ‘why would this happen to such an angel?

I would cry to myself knowing that there was nothing I could do to help and that there were people going against you and what you are/were going through.”