Sufjan Stevens, the indie-rock singer-songwriter, said in a statement on his website on Wednesday that he was in recovery from a rare neurological condition called Guillain-Barré syndrome that had taken away his ability to walk, saying he had been hospitalized for several weeks but was expected to recover.
“Last month I woke up one morning and couldn’t walk,” Stevens said on his website. “My hands, arms and legs were numb and tingling and I had no strength, no feeling, no mobility.”
The musician said that his brother drove him to an emergency room and that neurologists diagnosed him with the autoimmune disorder, which can cause muscle weakness and paralysis. He was treated with immunoglobulin infusions, which he said were effective, and was eventually transferred to rehab for intensive physical therapy, noting that most people with the condition learn to walk again within a year.
“My doctors did all the things to keep me alive and stabilize my condition,” Stevens said. “I owe them my life.”
Stevens has a new album, called “Javelin,” coming out next month. He noted that his health had prevented him from participating in the album’s promotion.
“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 said. “I’m committed to getting better, I’m in good spirits, and I’m surrounded by a really great team.”
Julia Jacobs
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