16 celebrities who have opened up about battling Lyme disease

Many stars have spoken about their struggles with Lyme disease.Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images, AP Images/ Yim

• Lyme disease, the bacterial tick-borne illness that often comes with a host of vague, mysterious symptoms which makes it difficult to properly diagnose.
• Avril Lavigne went public with her Lyme battle in 2015 and is now an advocate for those with the illness.
• Amy Schumer recently spoke about being diagnosed with Lyme disease.

In recent years, the medical spotlight has increasingly been shining on Lyme disease, the bacterial tick-borne illness that often comes with a host of vague, mysterious symptoms.

The widespread illness is often considered the "great imitator" because its symptoms typically mimic other health conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple sclerosis, and others.

Getting a proper Lyme disease diagnosis remains challenging because testing is often inconclusive, potentially leaving those impacted to suffer for weeks, months, or years before being correctly treated.

Although treatments do exist, there is no cure.

Here are some celebrities who have spoken out about their experiences with Lyme disease, helping to shed light on this mysterious tick-borne illness: