Avril Lavigne Offers Rewards & Prize For Lyme Disease Campaign: Yolanda Foster & Ashley Olsen Suffer Symptoms

Avril Lavigne is determined to use her fight with Lyme disease to achieve two goals. Just turned 31 (her birthday was Sunday), Avril has kick-started a campaign that will provide more awareness to the condition while offering support to others who, like Lavigne, are struggling to recover, reported People.

The campaign will last for five weeks, with the Avril Lavigne Foundation as the organization involved. And a grand prize winner will earn a speaking part in Charming, which is an animated film. To provide the chance to win the coveted role in her new movie, Avril is working with Prizeo, an online fundraising platform.

“I’m excited that this year’s campaign is supporting people with Lyme disease and helping others to better understand this issue,” said the singer.

As excited as she is about the campaign, Lavigne wants to make sure that the pain of Lyme disease also gets through. Avril recalls being unable to breathe, move, or talk, admitting that at one point she thought was dying.

To learn more about Lavigne’s campaign, rewards, and grand prize, the details are on Prizeo. Avril notes that on her birthday, she requests that fans help her help others. She chose 2015 as the year to focus on helping those with Lyme disease who might not be able to afford treatment.

“With just a small donation to my Foundation, you can support people recovering from Lyme Disease, get cool rewards (like a campaign-exclusive t-shirt or signed merch) AND you’ll be entered for a chance to have your voice be in Charming, my latest animated film, and meet me – I’m the voice of Snow White!”

The winner of the grand prize will record with the film’s director, see the animation, and receive a script autographed by the members of the Charming cast.

Also speaking out about her own Lyme disease diagnosis is Yolanda Foster, and when the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star initially shared her battle, fans were shocked, reported Us Weekly.

The hint that something was wrong first occurred when the formerly energetic reality TV show blogger dwindled off to fewer and fewer blogs. Apologizing, the 51-year-old shared that she had become unable to do so in what she termed an “intelligent matter” because of her illness.

Yolanda explained that although she had been struggling with Lyme disease for three years, her first year was “wasted” in attempting to get an accurate diagnosis. She then battled to find a cure, ranging from antibiotics to holistic remedies. Despite those attempts, Foster rated her recovery at 60 percent, but she then relapsed.

Although Lyme disease is treatable when diagnosed early, Yolanda’s struggle to get diagnosed exacerbated her symptoms. When not treated, Lyme disease may affect both the nervous system and heart, and Foster revealed just how ill she felt.

“I have lost the ability to read, write, or even watch TV, because I can’t process information or any stimulation for that matter,” wrote Yolanda. “It feels like someone came in and confiscated my brain and tied my hands behind my back to just watch and see life go by without me participating in it.”

Like Avril, Foster urges that the effort to find a cure or vaccine be increased.

And they are not the only celebrities battling Lyme disease. In spring, the news emerged that Ashley Olsen reportedly also has Lyme disease, and that it has gotten worse, reported Radar Online.

A source shared that Ashley is in pain from the condition, which she has had for several years. As her symptoms have become worse, the Olsen twin has avoided the office more to rest at home.

“She’s really struggling [with] pain and exhaustion,” added the source.

As the Inquisitr reported, Lyme disease may also have caused Ashley’s early exit from the entertainment world.

But what is Lyme disease, and how does it affect the body? Transmitted to humans by a tick infected with the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi, that tiny creature attaches itself to the body and, just by clinging there for 36 to 48 hours, transmits the disease to its human recipient.

After someone does get infected, 80 percent notice a rash. It looks like a target for shooting: The center may be a solid red, with a white ring around it. In addition, those infected might feel feverish or chilly and experience an aching sensation or pain. But progressive symptoms can be heart-breaking, as Avril, Yolanda, and reportedly Ashley have discovered.

As for those who doubt the impact on the brain, that is called chronic or persistent Lyme disease, according to Healthline.

Lyme disease symptoms continue for 10 to 20 percent of patients, and cognitive dysfunction, as well as exhaustion and muscle aches, can prevent them for leading normal lives. To date, no one knows why some suffer from persistent Lyme disease.

[Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images; Photo by John Parra/Getty Images for Clear Channel; Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Diane Von Furstenberg]