Avril Lavigne Lyme disease: Singer performs for first time in a year at Special Olympics World Games as she recovers from debilitating illness
The singer made a triumphant comeback over the weekend
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Avril Lavigne made her first public performance in a year after being diagnosed with Lyme disease.
The singer gave an emotional interview in June about her struggle to be diagnosed with the debilitating disease, which shares similar symptoms to chronic fatigue syndrome.
On Saturday, Lavigne performed at the Special Olympics World Games Opening ceremony in Los Angeles. In a post on Instagram after her performance, she wrote: “Thank you to everyone who supports the Avril Lavigne Foundation.
"It has been a difficult year fighting through Lyme disease for me and I am so happy to have made it on stage tonight for the first performance in a year.
“Thank you for having me and please enjoy my song Fly. I wrote this song to encourage people who are facing challenges, to encourage strength and to empower.”
Lavigne, 30, was bed-ridden for months until a specialist diagnosed the rare illness. She is currently half-way through a treatment programme and is expected to make a full recovery.
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection contracted from infected ticks. The disease, caught by approximately 300,000 people in the US each year, affects the skin, joints, heart and nervous system.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments