The last we heard from Avril Lavigne, we actually… hadn’t heard anything at all. She’d gone quiet, only thanking fans for their continued prayers as she battled some kind of illness that most were speculating was actually a trip to rehab. However, the truth has finally been revealed, and it wasn’t drugs that got Avril down, but Lyme disease.
From People:
“I had no idea a bug bite could do this,” says Lavigne, who believes she was bit by a tick sometime last spring. “I was bedridden for five months.”
The Canadian singer has been recuperating at her home in Ontario, where she spends time with family, watches movies and keeps up with fans through social media.
“I felt like I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t talk and I couldn’t move,” she says. “I thought I was dying.”
“There were definitely times I couldn’t shower for a full week because I could barely stand,” she says. “It felt like having all your life sucked out of you.”
And while she had her share of dark moments, one thing that helped her get through the long days was knowing her fans were out there, waiting for her to get better.
“They were asking about me since I was MIA, so I mentioned to one fan directly that I wasn’t feeling good,” Lavigne says, referencing a private Twitter message in December that went viral. “The get-well messages and videos they sent touched me so deeply.”
Apparently she’s 80% better now – her mom had to move in to take care of her for months while she recuperated. That sounds rough – I knew Lyme disease was serious, but I had no idea it was THAT serious. Glad she’s feeling better and is back on her feet.
I have Lyme disease and it is VERY serious. Some doctors thought it could be MS or Lupus but finally realized it is in fact Borrelia. It completely changes your life and can be debilitating. I now use a cane and sometimes a wheelchair on bad days. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. I think it’s awesome that Avril has spoken public about so that it can bring more awareness to this disease.