Avril Lavigne Offers Support to Justin Bieber Amid Lyme Disease Announcement

Karen Mizoguchi
Avril Lavigne Offers Support to Justin Bieber Amid Lyme Disease Announcement

Avril Lavigne is reaching out to Justin Bieber with support.

The 35-year-old rocker offered her fellow Canadian singer some words of encouragement on Instagram Thursday, after news of Bieber’s Lyme disease diagnosis was made public.

“Today @JustinBieber shared that he has Lyme disease. There are too many people that have this debilitating disease! People I love and care about and many friends and fans I have crossed paths with,” Lavigne wrote along with information about the symptoms and signs of Lyme from her Avril Lavigne Foundation.

“To everyone affected by Lyme, I want to tell you that there is HOPE. Because Lyme is a daily struggle, for the better part of two years, I was really sick and fighting for my life,” she added.

Lavigne exclusively revealed to PEOPLE in an April 2015 cover story that she had been quietly suffering from Lyme disease after disappearing from the public eye in fall 2014. While on tour, she began feeling weak, but doctors at first cited dehydration and exhaustion. Months later — as her symptoms worsened and she struggled to even move — she visited a Lyme specialist who diagnosed her with the disease, a bacterial infection contracted from a tick bite that causes symptoms ranging from moderate fatigue and muscle pain to debilitating dementia.

Gregg DeGuire/FilmMagic; Gotham/GC Images
Gregg DeGuire/FilmMagic; Gotham/GC Images

“It is a global pandemic but NOT a global priority. I never want others to suffer the way that I did, and because of that it is now my mission to raise awareness & funds that will help eradicate this life-altering disease,” Lavigne wrote on her post, on which actress Evan Rachel Wood commented: “I had it as a child. Its brutal and I still suffer symptoms. Thank you for spreading awareness. There needs to be more research for this disease.”

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Today @JustinBieber shared that he has Lyme disease. There are too many people that have this debilitating disease! People I love and care about and many friends and fans I have crossed paths with. To everyone affected by Lyme, I want to tell you that there is HOPE. Because Lyme is a daily struggle, for the better part of two years, I was really sick and fighting for my life. Writing #HeadAboveWater helped me get through the worst of it, but the bad days still come and go. At the time, putting together my album saved my life. I needed to tell my story and to be able to share my experiences with others. Lyme disease is in all 50 states in the US and in EVERY country in the world, except Antarctica. It is a global pandemic but NOT a global priority. I never want others to suffer the way that I did, and because of that it is now my mission to raise awareness & funds that will help eradicate this life-altering disease. Portions of proceeds from every show on the rest of the #HeadAboveWater tour and merch sales will continue to go directly to Lyme disease. I will continue to fight and to support! @TheAvrilLavigneFoundation supports people with Lyme Disease, serious illness or disabilities. We raise awareness and aid PREVENTION of the Lyme epidemic. We impact the lives of individuals and families affected by Lyme Disease through TREATMENT grants administered by our charitable partners; and we’ve aligned with @globallymealliance to accelerate scientific research. Please, JOIN US as we endeavor to educate people, prevent the spread of Lyme and find a cure. Our initiatives enable us to provide HOPE and expand the number of lives we’re able to transform. TOGETHER we can do this. #FightLyme #LymeIsReal #TheAvrilLavigneFoundation

A post shared by Avril Lavigne (@avrillavigne) on Jan 8, 2020 at 6:20pm PST

Bieber’s wife Hailey Baldwin thanked Lavigne on Twitter Thursday. “Sending so much love to @AvrilLavigne thank you for all you do to educate people about Lyme. You’re amazing,” the model tweeted.

The “Yummy” singer opened up about the disease on Instagram, revealing that he had been keeping the illness a secret.

“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,” he said.

Bieber is set to discuss Lyme disease more in his upcoming 10-part YouTube docu-series, Justin Bieber: Seasons.

RELATED: From Avril Lavigne to Yolanda Hadid: Celebrities Who’ve Gone Public About Battling Lyme Disease

“These things will be explained further in a docu series I’m putting on YouTube shortly.. you can learn all that I’ve been battling and OVERCOMING!!” he said. “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 NO CAP.”

In the docu-series, manager Scooter Braun tells fan: “He’s taken a very long break and in that time, he’s found his wife, he’s grown a lot, and he’s ready to express himself through music again. No one’s ever grown up in the history of humanity like Justin Bieber.”

The first episode of Justin Bieber: Seasons airs Jan. 27 on YouTube at 12:00 p.m. EST. The episodes will air on Mondays and Wednesdays.