News broke last week that the "Yummy" singer has been battling the tick-borne illness
Justin Bieber is coping with his Lyme disease diagnosis with wife Hailey Baldwin by his side.
After news broke last week that the “Yummy” singer, 25, has been battling the tick-borne illness, the model, 23, supported him on Twitter by slamming fans who were “trying to downplay the severity” of his diagnosis and also thanked friends Gigi and Bella Hadid, as well as their mom, Yolanda, for helping guide them on how to handle the disease. (Yolanda, 56, Bella, 23, and the youngest Hadid sibling, Anwar, 20, have all struggled with Lyme disease.)
“Hailey is very close with both Gigi and Bella,” a source tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue, on newsstands Friday. “They have been very helpful in guiding and supporting Justin’s Lyme disease. From their mom’s struggles, they have shared a lot of valuable information. It’s all helped Justin tremendously.”
Bieber addressed his diagnosis for the first time on Instagram on Jan. 8, writing, “While a lot of people kept saying Justin Bieber looks like s—, on meth, etc. they failed to realize I’ve been recently diagnosed with Lyme disease, not only that but had a serious case of chronic mono which affected my, skin, brain function, energy, and overall health.”
“These things will be explained further in a docu-series I’m putting on YouTube shortly,” Bieber continued, referencing his upcoming 10-part YouTube Originals docu-series, Justin Bieber: Seasons. “You can learn all that I’ve been battling and OVERCOMING!! It’s been a rough couple years but getting the right treatment that will help treat this so far incurable disease and I will be back and better than ever.”
As for why Bieber is opening up about his struggle with the disease — which is an infection caused by bacteria commonly carried by ticks that leads to fevers, fatigue and muscle pain — now, the source says it’s because “he doesn’t want people in the same situation to give up.”
“For a long time, he was feeling both frustrated and angry,” the source says. “He wasn’t feeling well at all, but no one could help him. And he sought a lot of different medical help before he got the help that he needed. He wants people to know his struggles were real.”
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Now that Bieber is getting the right help, the source says he is “looking forward to this year.”
“Justin is doing great now,” the source says. “He is excited about touring and can’t wait to resume his career.”
Throughout 2019, Bieber was often open with his fans about his struggles and treatment for mental health issues, which was the cause of the singer’s own four-year hiatus from his solo music career.
In February 2019, a source told PEOPLE that the singer was going through a rough patch, but that he was “receiving some treatment” to get better.
“Justin seems down and tired. He has been struggling a bit,” the Bieber source said.
Ahead of the new year, the pop star seemingly bounced back and announced a slate of new projects, including an upcoming album, a tour and his documentary series. He dropped his latest single, “Yummy,” on Jan. 3.
The first episode of Justin Bieber: Seasons airs at 12:00 p.m. EST on YouTube on Jan. 27. The episodes will air on Mondays and Wednesdays.
For more on Justin Bieber’s Lyme disease battle, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.