Indie rock singer and songwriter Sufjan Stevens announced Wednesday that he is recovering from Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare neurological disease that left him paralyzed and whose recovery has prevented him from promoting his upcoming album. “Last month, I woke up one morning and I couldn’t walk anymore,” the 48-year-old artist, a figure on the American independent scene, declared on his website. “My hands, arms and legs were numb and tingling, I had no strength, no feeling, no mobility,” he added.
Doctors diagnosed Guillain-Barré syndrome, an autoimmune condition in which the immune system damages nerve cells, causing muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis. “I spent about two weeks in med/surgery, bedridden, while my doctors did everything they could to keep me alive and stabilize my condition. I owe them my life,” added the artist.
Sufjan Stevens indicated that he was still recovering and that his condition did not allow him to promote his next album, the thirteenth of his career, Javelin, which is scheduled for release on October 6.
His title Mystery of Love, soundtrack to the film Call me by your name by Luca Guadagnino, received a nomination at the 2018 Oscars in the “best original song” category.