- People with Ramsay Hunt syndrome have been reacting to Justin Bieber’s diagnosis.
- The singer announced last week that half of his face was temporarily paralyzed by the syndrome.
- They range from debilitating dizziness to chronic facial paralysis like Bieber’s.
People with Ramsay Hunt syndrome, a rare post-viral complication, are reacting to the news that Justin Bieber had to cancel a series of shows after his condition worsened.
The 28-year-old singer posted his diagnosis on Instagram on Friday. Bieber showed half of his face paralyzed.
“As you can see, this eye doesn’t blink, I can’t smile on my face, and this nostril doesn’t move. So my face is completely paralyzed,” he said in the post.
Ramsay Hunt is a rare complication of the common viruses that cause chickenpox and shingles, Insider’s Gabby Landsverk reports.
Nicoya Rescorla, who has been living with the syndrome for the past 20 months, said the singer’s statement brought tears to her eyes.
“He’s spreading awareness and it’s refreshing,” Rescorla told Reuters in an interview.
Rescorla, a 28-year-old mother of three living in the UK, said the condition had a “huge impact” on her day-to-day life.
Her symptoms included dizziness and vertigo. She said she could no longer drive alone or leave the house. She told Reuters she had to drink any liquid, even coffee, through a straw.
“I went from being so independent, very independent, to having my husband take care of me because I couldn’t do it myself,” she said.
According to the Mayo Clinic, some symptoms of this condition may become permanent — but most will get better with treatment.
According to the website, after chickenpox infection, the virus can survive in the nerves and can reactivate years after the primary infection has been cleared.
According to the Mayo Clinic, a routine vaccination against chickenpox in childhood can reduce the risk of infection.
“Don’t worry babes, we’re in this together,” TikTok star Callum Gravestock said in a post, saying he contracted the disease over the past few weeks.
Gravestock said an ambulance was sent to his home after describing his symptoms, including a rash on his face and neck and partial paralysis, to Britain’s emergency services “just to make sure I didn’t have a stroke. “
He described remaining partially paralyzed in his face and hearing loss in one ear shortly after receiving steroids for a week.
Mikaela Pretorius contracted the disease in November 2014. She told ABC News she felt sympathy for Bieber because she could imagine his pain.
For her, the symptoms never completely disappeared.
“I have permanent facial paralysis,” Pretorius said. “I had some movement on the right side of my face, like I could blink again, but not the same,” she said.
According to her, no one in her patient support group has fully recovered, although many have improved.
Common treatments for Ramsay Hunt syndrome are antiviral drugs and steroids, according to NORD, the Association for Patients with Rare Diseases. Most symptoms get better with treatment, but in some cases, some become permanent, NORD said.
Bieber said he hopes his symptoms will improve.
“I’m going to get better,” Bieber said in his Instagram post on Friday. “I’m doing all these facial exercises to get my face back to normal and it’s going to come back to normal.”