Sufjan Stevens is battling Guillain-Barré Syndrome, he revealed in a post on his website. The diagnosis is the reason he hasn’t done any interviews in support of his upcoming album, Javelin, which is out on Oct. 6. According to the Mayo Clinic, Guillain-Barré Syndrome is a rare autoimmune disorder in which a person’s immune system attacks its nerves. Stevens revealed that last month, he woke up and couldn’t walk, and was promptly rushed to the ER.
“My hands, arms and legs were numb and tingling and I had no strength, no feeling, no mobility, he said. “After a series of tests—MRIs, EMGs, cat scans, X-rays, spinal taps (!), echo-cardiograms, etc.—the neurologists diagnosed me with an auto immune disorder called Guillian-Barre Syndrome.”
Continuing, Stevens said that on Sept. 8, he was “transferred to acute rehab, where I am now undergoing intensive physical therapy/occupational therapy, strength building etc. to get my body back in shape and to learn to walk again. It’s a slow process, but they say I will ‘recover,’ it just takes a lot of time, patience, and hard work. Most people who have GBS learn to walk again on their own within a year, so I am hopeful. 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.”
Concluding, Stevens thanked his fans and caretakers and said that he would provide updates on his condition when he has news to report.
