It's onward and upward for Avril Lavigne. Halfway through her treatment for Lyme disease, the "Complicated" singer's condition has improved and she's expected to make a full recovery. "I'm about halfway through my treatment. I'm doing a lot better. Seeing a lot of the progress," Lavigne, 30, told Good Morning America's Jesse Palmer during a tearful interview on Monday, June 29.
Going public with her health issues this spring, Lavigne sought answers for more than a month before receiving an accurate diagnosis. "I literally became bedridden last October," said Lavigne, who saw several specialists who could not pinpoint her Lyme disease. "They would pull up their computer and be like, 'Chronic fatigue syndrome.' Or, 'Why don't you try to get out of bed, Avril, and just go play the piano?' It's like, 'Are you depressed?'"
In the end, the Canadian singer was forced to be her own advocate. "I started going to other doctors and, like, specifically telling them and asking, like, 'I have Lyme disease. I know I do. Can you check me?'" she said. "Then I finally figured out, 'Find a Lyme specialist.'"
In addition to lots of rest, Lavigne's treatment includes multiple antibiotics. "There is hope. Lyme disease does exist. And you can get better," Nickleback singer Chad Kroeger's wife explained.
Now that she's back on her feet, Lavigne will make one of her first public appearances in months at the July 25 Special Olympics Opening Ceremony in L.A., where she'll perform her single "Fly." "I really just want to go out there and truly do what I love," said the on-the-mend singer. "So I'm so excited for life after this."
