Justin Bieber announced Friday he is suffering from a rare medical condition called Ramsay Hunt syndrome that has caused the partial paralysis of his face.
The 28-year-old singer recorded an Instagram video just shy of three minutes long that detailed the medical condition that he is contending with. “Obviously, as you can probably see from my face, I have this syndrome called Ramsay Hunt syndrome, and it is from this virus that attacks the nerve in my ear and my facial nerves and has caused my face to have paralysis. As you can see, this eye is not blinking. I can’t smile on this side of my face, this nostril will not move,” Bieber said.
He addressed fans that were upset about the cancelation of his upcoming concerts, in hopes that they would understand the reason for his sudden absence. “This is pretty serious as you can see,” Bieber said.
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“So there’s full paralysis on this side of my face, so for those who are frustrated by my cancelations of the next shows, I’m just physically obviously not capable of doing them,” Bieber said. His face was visibly affected by the condition he talked about throughout the duration of the video.
The same virus that causes chickenpox causes Ramsay Hunt syndrome, and the virus can continue to live in the nerves even after someone recovers from chickenpox, according to the Mayo Clinic. It has the potential of reactivating, which can lead to a painful rash, as well as facial paralysis. Permanent muscle weakness is possible, according to Mayo Clinic.
“I wish this wasn’t the case but obviously my body’s telling me I gotta slow down and I hope you guys understand,” Bieber said.
He went on to detail a series of things he was trying to do to recover from this condition. “I’ll be using this time to rest and relax and get back to 100% so I can do what I was born to do,” Bieber said. He also explained to his fans that he was putting his focus towards doing facial exercises that would help to restore his ability to use his facial muscles. (RELATED: Justin Bieber Passionately Asks Fans To Leave Him Alone When He’s At His Home)
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Bieber seemed determined to overcome this medical setback. “In the meantime, this ain’t it. I gotta get my rest on so that I can get my face back to where it’s supposed to be,” he said.
Leaning on his religion, Bieber expressed an optimistic outlook for the future. “It will go back to normal, it’s just time, and we don’t know how much time it’s gonna be, but it’s gonna be ok, and I have hope and I trust God and I trust that this is all for a reason, and I’m not sure what that is right now but in the meantime I’m gonna rest and I love you guys, peace,” Bieber said.
Bieber’s Instagram post was viewed more than 4.5 million times within the first hour of being posted, and his fans have rushed to the comments section to offer words of support and encouragement.