Avril Lavigne shares shocking details of her battle with Lyme disease

By MiNDFOOD

Singer Avril Lavigne arrives on the red carpet for the 2016 Juno Awards in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, April 3, 2016. REUTERS/Chris Bolin - TB3EC431TLAAI
Singer Avril Lavigne arrives on the red carpet for the 2016 Juno Awards in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, April 3, 2016. REUTERS/Chris Bolin - TB3EC431TLAAI
There was a time not too long ago when powerhouse singer Avril Lavigne didn’t think she would live long enough to make another album.

The popular Canadian rocker suffers from Lyme disease, and at one stage after her diagnosis in 2014, she was lying in bed thinking she might die, she felt so bad.

“I had accepted I was going to die,” she said. “My mom lay with me in bed and held me. I felt like I was drowning. Under my breath, I prayed ‘God, please help to keep my head above the water.

“I fought Lyme Disease on antibiotics and herbs for two years. I tried to have a life, but was in bed the majority of the time, and it was very up and down with good days and bad days.

‘When you’re in bed for the better part of two years, you lose muscle mass, and your entire body gets weak. I’ve had to work to get my endurance up.”

That low point ended up sparking the lyrics that eventually became the album Head Above Water.

“It was like I tapped into something,” said Lavigne. “It was a very spiritual experience. Lyrics flooded through me from that point on.”

The 2019 album was her first in six years and her first record since getting sick.  “This is me and my fight,” she said. “This album tells my story.”

The album’s single of the same name, ‘Head Above Water’, was the first song that Lavigne sang after not singing for two years.

“I thought my voice would be weak but it ended up being stronger than ever. The break was actually good for my vocal cords.”

Since her first song, ‘Complicated’ in 2002, Lavigne has sold more than 40 million albums and 30 million singles, and is Canada’s third biggest selling female artist of all time.

In 2010, she set up the Avril Lavigne Foundation, which supports people with Lyme Disease, serious illness or disabilities.

“Having music while I was healing and in recovery definitely pulled me out of my darkness,” said Lavigne.

“Having gone through the battle of my lifetime, I’m stronger than ever and looking forward to sharing my renewed voice and energy for my life with my fans through this new music.”

Theavrillavignefoundation.org

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