The Canadian songbird, who's been battling the disease since last year, sang her song 'Fly' at the event's opening ceremony in Los Angeles on Saturday, July 25.
- Jul 27, 2015
AceShowbiz - Avril Lavigne returned to the stage for the first time in more than a year on Saturday, July 25. The singer, who's been publicly battling Lyme Disease, appeared at the opening ceremony of the Special Olympics World Games at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to perform her new song "Fly".
The Canadian singer looked gorgeous in a floor-length sparkling black dress. She was joined on the stage by a backing band as she belted out the inspiring track, which she said she wrote "to encourage people who are facing challenges, to encourage strength and to empower."
Following the performance, Lavigne expressed her excitement in an Instagram post. "Honored to have performed my song 'Fly' at the opening ceremony for the Special Olympics tonight," she wrote, captioning a picture of her. "All proceeds go to support the Special Olympics."
"This was a very beautiful night for me. Congratulations to all the athletes. 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," she continued. "Thank you for having me and please enjoy my song 'Fly'."
Lavigne was diagnosed with Lyme Disease last year. In an interview with "Good Morning America" earlier this year, she said that she began feeling sick while on tour last year, but doctors couldn't find what's wrong with her.
"I went from doctor to doctor for about eight months until I found somebody that had the knowledge of Lyme disease and the experience of treating it. I actually knew I had it the whole time, probably since the summer, and was just up against a lot of doctors telling me, 'You're crazy,' " she said at that time.
