Crystal Hefner Joins Long List Of Celebrities Suffering From Lyme Disease

Crystal Hefner has been diagnosed with Lyme disease. The DJ and model, who is best known for being the wife of Playboy creator Hugh Hefner, announced her medical ailment on Instagram.

“I was diagnosed a few days ago and have a long road ahead of me,” Crystal Hefner, 29, wrote Monday. The disease is a bacterial infection caused by the bite of a deer tick. Hefner said she has no memory of being bit. “Supposedly you get it from ticks but I have absolutely no recollection of being bit or having a rash of anything … Most importantly there are so many of you carrying Lyme that don’t even know you have it. Probably because the ticks can be the size of spec[k]s. I always thought of ticks to be big and noticeable.”

Hefner advised her fans to get tested for Lyme disease, claiming, “The symptoms are vast and when it has been left untreated for a long time can turn into MS, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Dementia and ALS.”

Hefner listed symptoms of the disease, including but not limited to anxiety, brain fog, fatigue and hearing problems, suggesting the presence of any one of those issues could mean a person has been infected. “It is a disease so many people are living with and is becoming an epidemic,” she wrote. “I always thought I was a hypochondriac. Doctors told me it was just ‘stress’ or ‘all in my head’ but I finally figured it out and you can too.”

Hefner is one of dozens of celebrities who have opened up about their Lyme disease diagnosis in recent years. Singer Avril Lavigne famously revealed her diagnosis in April 2015. Actors Alec Baldwin, Jamie Lynn Sigler and Ben Stiller have also talked about their battles with the disease. Recently, “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Yolanda Foster has been publicly battling Lyme disease — and her critics. Her medical ailment has become a leading storyline on Season 6 of the Bravo reality-television series.