Sufjan Stevens says he’s learning how to walk again after Guillain-Barré syndrome diagnosis

By Alli Rosenbloom, CNN

(CNN) — Singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens revealed on Wednesday that he’s relearning how to walk after being diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare neurological disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks nerve cells.

“Last month I woke up one morning and couldn’t walk. My hands, arms and legs were numb and tingling and I had no strength, no feeling, no mobility,” Stevens wrote on his Tumblr Wednesday morning, adding that after a series of tests at the hospital, he learned of his diagnosis.

The Oscar-nominated musician went on to write that he spent two weeks in a medical-surgical unit during his hospitalization, where he underwent a five-day treatment program and received immuno-hemoglobin infusions so that the disease “doesn’t spread to the lungs, heart and brain.”

“Very scary, but it worked,” he wrote. “My doctors did all the things to keep me alive and stabilize my condition. I owe them my life.”

Severe cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome can cause muscle weakness leading to paralysis, which can potentially interfere with breathing and blood pressure or heart rate, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).

In Stevens’ case, recovery is on the horizon as he began “intensive physical therapy/occupational therapy, strength building etc. to get my body back in shape and to learn to walk again” after he entered an acute rehab center earlier this month.

“I’m only in my second week of rehab but it is going really well and I am working really hard to get back on my feet,” he wrote, adding, “I’m committed to getting better, I’m in good spirits, and I’m surrounded by a really great team. I want to be well!”

Stevens is an indie singer-songwriter who was nominated for an Oscar in 2018 for his original song “Mystery of Love” from the movie “Call Me By Your Name.” He was gearing up to release his tenth studio album “Javelin,” coming out October 6, prior to his hospitalization.

“Huge shout out to all the incredible caretakers of the world working night and day to help us heal,” he wrote at the end of his post. “They are living saints.”

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