Sufjan Stevens has provided an update on Instagram explaining why he has not been actively promoting his upcoming album 'Javelin', revealing that he has been in hospital receiving treatment for a serious condition that left him unable to walk.
He writes: "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. My brother drove me to the ER and after a series of tests - MRIs, EMGs, CAT scans, X-rays, spinal taps(!), echo-cardiograms, etc, the neurologists diagnosed me with an autoimmune disorder called Guillian-Barre Syndrome".
"Luckily there’s treatment for this", he adds. "They administer immuno-hemoglobin infusions for five days and pray that the disease doesn’t spread to the lungs, heart and brain. Very scary, but it worked. I spent about two weeks in med/surg, stuck in a bed, while my doctors did all the things to keep me alive and stabilise my condition. I owe them my life".
He was transferred to rehab on 8 Sep, where he is “now undergoing intensive physical therapy, occupational therapy, strength building etc to get my body back in shape and to learn to walk again".
Doing so is a slow process, he says, explaining that "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. 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!"
He then promised to keep fans up to date on his progress, concluding: "Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. And a huge shout out to all the incredible caretakers of the world working night and day to help us heal. They are living saints".