Avril Lavigne – who suffers from Lyme disease – took a moment to thank fans for their support during her struggles. She also surprised everyone by announcing the release of a new album in 2017.

She shared on Instagram: “Hi Everyone!! I wanted to first thank my fans for your patience & support during my time away throughout my battle with Lyme Disease over the past 2 years. It hasn’t just been a hard battle but it’s also been enlightening and will reflect in my new music, artistry, life, and personally.”

And while she will remain busy raising awareness of her condition, the star will do her best to keep fans informed and fully satisfied all the same.

She continued: “I will always continue to make it a priority to fight and raise awareness about Lyme Disease with the Avril Lavigne foundation. I’m really happy to announce that I am now working on new music and I will be releasing a new album in 2017. I can’t wait to open up and share my heart with you! I’m excited for you guys to hear the new songs. It’s going to be an amazing 2017!”

The news comes shortly after Avril teased to have a Christmas present for everyone. She had recently posted a video standing next to a tree and showing off a present while addressing the camera.

“Happy Christmas everyone! I’ve got all my presents under the tree but I can’t forget this last one, the most important one, for my fans,” she stated.

Meanwhile, the singer had previously opened up about her condition and said she’s “coming out on the other side.”

She shared through Facebook at the time: “Overcoming Lyme Disease. Feels good to have my Dr. smile and tell me how much progress I am making. I’m coming out on the other side batches!!! ‪#‎Fighter‬ ‪#‎F**kLymeDisease‬”