Debbie Gibson Gives a Health Update on Her Lyme Disease: ‘Goes Through Twists and Turns’ (Exclusive)

Debbie Gibson is still feeling like “a warrior” and “eternally electric” after living with Lyme disease for the past 12 years.

The chart-topping ’80s pop star gave PEOPLE a candid health update during an exclusive conversation at the Dancers Against Cancer’s 2025 Gala of the Stars on Tuesday, Oct. 21, in Beverly Hills, Calif.

“I am doing really well,” says the 55-year-old entertainer, who started experiencing symptoms of the tick-borne inflammatory disease in 2013.

Gibson continues, “A couple of weeks ago, I ended up in an urgent care on the road. Is it Lyme or is it just overdue? I don’t really know, but my point is my health goes through twists and turns, like everybody.”

“I just take one step at a time and address what comes up, and now I’m feeling fabulous right now. I feel great,” she concludes of her health status.

In 2021, the “Lost in Your Eyes” and “Foolish Beat” hitmaker previously told PEOPLE about the early days in 2013 of her then-undiagnosed Lyme disease symptoms, which included included food sensitivities, fatigue, night sweats, migraines and back pain.

“When I was in the throes of Lyme and didn’t really know it, I’d take a Xanax to help me sleep,” she said. “It started wigging my body out and was triggering something to do with the Lyme, and my body couldn’t handle it.” But years later, Gibson was able to cope with her Lyme disease.

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“For me, it’s about being zen and open, listening for answers and yes, being a warrior, but a peaceful warrior and moving through things,” the songwriter and actress explained in 2021. “When you’ve lived enough life, you start to move through things with more ease.”

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At the Oct. 21 gala, Gibson also told PEOPLE about the reception to her recently released memoir, Eternally Electric: The Message in My Music.

“The two biggest things people are connecting to are anxiety. The fact that I was vocal about having panic attacks in my teens and kind of the mental health journey, I think a lot of people relate to,” she says.

Gibson continues, “And then losing my mom, people were like, oh my God, I was reliving my own grief. And I just think when you talk about things like that, it makes people feel less alone, as cliche as it sounds.”

“I don’t think even I realized until I wrote it, how many challenging moments I went through to get to this point,” she adds. “You’re still standing. I’ve been through a lot of things.”