Avril Lavigne has been candid about her struggle with Lyme disease, and the singer opened up even more about her illness in a new ABC News interview, in which she criticized doctors who didn’t take her health as seriously as they perhaps should have.
“I was seeing every specialist and literally the top doctors, and … they would pull up their computer and be like, ‘Chronic fatigue syndrome?’” a teary Lavigne said. “Or, ‘Why don’t you try to get out of bed, Avril, and just go play the piano?’ … This is what they do to a lot of people who have Lyme disease. They don’t have an answer for them so they tell them, ‘You’re crazy.’”
Lavigne was bedridden for multiple months, but is about halfway through her treatment now and says she is doing much better.
“I think for me it’s like a second shot at life,” she said. “I want to go out there and truly do what I love, so I’m excited for life after this.”
Watch the interview here.
This article first appeared on EW.com
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Where Trump 2.0 Will Differ From 1.0
- How Elon Musk Became a Kingmaker
- The Power—And Limits—of Peer Support
- The 100 Must-Read Books of 2024
- Column: If Optimism Feels Ridiculous Now, Try Hope
- The Future of Climate Action Is Trade Policy
- FX’s Say Nothing Is the Must-Watch Political Thriller of 2024
- Merle Bombardieri Is Helping People Make the Baby Decision
Contact us at letters@time.com