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Sufjan Stevens is relearning to walk after Guillain-Barre Syndrome left him immobile, hospitalized

FILE - Sufjan Stevens performs at 2016 Outside Lands Music Festival in San Francisco on Aug. 6, 2016. tevens is relearning how to walk after the autoimmune disease Guillian-Barre Syndrome left him immobile. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP, File) (Amy Harris)

LOS ANGELES ā€“ Grammy- and Oscar-nominated indie musician Sufjan Stevens is relearning how to walk after the autoimmune disease Guillain-Barre Syndrome left him immobile, representatives confirmed to The Associated Press.

On Wednesday, Steven shared the news on his Tumblr page. In the post, he explained that he has been hospitalized, which is why he has been unable to participate in the promotion for his forthcoming album, ā€œJavelin,ā€ his first since 2020's ā€œThe Ascension.ā€ ā€œJavelinā€ will be released on Oct. 6.

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ā€œLast month I woke up one morning and couldnā€™t walk. My hands, arms and legs were numb and tingling and I had no strength, no feeling, no mobility. My brother drove me to the ER and after a series of tests ā€” MRIs, EMGs, cat scans, X-rays, spinal taps (!), echo-cardiograms, etc.,ā€ he wrote. Neurologists finally diagnosed with him Guillain-Barre Syndrome.

ā€œLuckily thereā€™s treatment for this ā€” they administer immuno-hemoglobin infusions for five days and pray that the disease doesnā€™t spread to the lungs, heart and brain. Very scary, but it worked,ā€ he continued, adding that he spent about two weeks ā€œstuck in a bed, while my doctors did all the things to keep me alive and stabilize my condition. I owe them my life.ā€

On Sept. 8, Stevens says he was transferred to an acute rehab to undergo intensive physical and occupational therapy, and to learn how to walk again.

ā€œMost people who have GBS learn to walk again on their own within a year, so I am hopeful,ā€ he wrote, thanking his caregivers. He signed the message, ā€œyours truly from a wheelchair XOXOXO Sufjan Stevens.ā€

Stevens, 48, is perhaps best known for his 2005 album ā€œIllinois,ā€ which brought both indie and mainstream acclaim, le)d by the single ā€œChicago.ā€ His song ā€œMystery of Love,ā€ written for the 2017 film ā€œCall Me by Your Name,ā€ was nominated for both a Grammy and an Oscar.


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