Justin Bieber has been forced to cancel the remaining dates of his Justice world tour.- Bieber revealed he had
Ramsay Hunt syndrome last year, and said it left half of his face paralyzed.
Justin Bieber has canceled the remaining dates on his Justice World tour as he continues to battle
Bieber revealed his diagnosis in June and said that it had left half of his face temporarily paralyzed, forcing him to cancel several performances.
"As you can see, this eye is not blinking, I can't smile on this side of my face, this nostril will not move. So there's full paralysis on this side of my face," he said in an Instagram post in June.
This is what the condition is like, according to people with Ramsay Hunt Syndrome who reacted to the singer being diagnosed with the condition in June.
Nicoya Rescorla, who has lived with the syndrome, said the singer's announcement brought tears to her eyes.
Speaking to Reuters in June, Rescorla said: "It's heartwarming that he's spreading awareness."
@nicoyarescorla Nearly 18 months of living with facial palsy. I developed this because of Ramsay Hunt Syndrome, which is a complication of shingles. This also caused other things such as pain, balance issues and vertigo. If you have any questions, let me know! #facialpalsy#facialparalysis#ramsayhuntsyndrome#chronicillness#chronicpain#disabilityawareness#disabilityadvocate#disabilityblog#visibledifference#visibledifferencecommunity#differentisbeautiful ♬ Here Comes the Sun - Acoustic Guitar Revival
Ramsay Hunt is a rare complication from the common virus that causes chickenpox and shingles. After a chickenpox infection, the virus can survive in the nerves and can be reactivated years after the primary infection has been cleared, according to the Mayo Clinic website.
Vaccination against chickenpox, which is routinely given in childhood, can decrease the risk of infection.
The symptoms can be debilitating and can last a long time.
Rescorla, a 28-year-old mom of three living in the UK, said the condition had a "huge impact" on her day-to-day life.
Her symptoms included bouts of dizziness and vertigo. She can no longer drive or leave the house on her own, she said. She has to drink liquids through a straw, even coffee, she told Reuters.
"I went from being so independent, fiercely independent, to having my husband care for me because I haven't been able to do it for myself," she said.
Bieber had originally hoped his condition would improve quickly with the help of physicians.
"I'm going to get better," Bieber said in his Instagram post in June. "I'm doing all these facial exercises to get my face back to normal, and it will go back to normal."
The singer soon resumed his tour in Europe and Brazil after the diagnosis. But in September, Bieber said in an Instagram story that his first six live shows since the diagnosis "really took a toll on me," per Sky news.
"After getting off stage, exhaustion overtook me and I realized I needed to make my health the priority right now," he said in the story.
The common treatment for Ramsay Hunt syndrome is antiviral medications and steroids, according to the Rare Disease patient association NORD.
Most symptoms can get better with treatment, but some can become permanent, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Mikaela Pretorius developed the condition in November 2014. She told the Australian broadcaster ABC news in June that she related to Bieber's distress.
For her, the symptoms never completely went away.
"I've got permanent facial paralysis," Pretorius said. "My right side of my face has some movement, like I can blink again, but it's not the same," she said.
According to Pretorius, no one in her patient-support group has fully recovered, though many have improved.
"Don't worry babes, we're in this together," TikTok star Callum Gravestock, who says he developed the condition, said in a post in June.
@calgeee Here’s my story from the last two weeks, don’t worry biebs I feel you brother #bieber #ramsayhuntsyndrome #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #shingles #justinbieber ♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys - Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey
Gravestock said that after describing his symptoms to the UK emergency services, including a rash on the face and neck and partial paralysis, an ambulance was sent to his house "just to make sure I wasn't gonna have a stroke."
He described still having partial paralysis of the face and hearing loss in one ear after a week into his steroid treatment.