- wording
- BBC News World
3 hours
image source, Nicoya Rescorla,
Despite the medication, Rescorla is in pain every day.
Justin Bieber recently revealed to his followers that he was diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome.
In a moving video posted on his social networks, the Canadian singer commented that this condition was what forced him to cancel his next shows.
Ramsay Hunt syndrome occurs when an outbreak of shingles affects the facial nerve near the ears, causing a parlysis in parts of the face.
Nicoya Rescorla, a young British woman from the county of Cornwall, in the southwest of the United Kingdom, suffers from the same condition as Bieber, something that, as she says, “has robbed her of her independence”.
“The pain has been excruciating, debilitating,” he tells BBC Radio 1’s Newsbeat programme.
For Rescorla, 28, the syndrome began to manifest in October 2020. He says it started with pain in the neckbefore the paralysis appeared.
After that, he began to experience a number of other symptoms.
“The vertigo and balance They really knocked me down,” he adds.
“Physically and mentally isolated”
Ramsay Hunt syndrome cannot be spread from one person to another, but it is a complication of a communicable disease called shingles.
Shingles is related to the virus varicella that many people can contract in childhood.
According to the non-profit organization Facial Palsy UK, if the immune system is weakened and less able to fight infection, the body can become vulnerable to a reactivation of the chickenpox virus.
The organization notes that the stress it is often a trigger, as it can weaken the immune system, and people who are stressed are more likely to get infections.
Rescorla says the problem impacted her mental health.
“It has isolated me a lot physically and mentally because I can’t just go out when I want, I have to depend on my husband and my mother.”
“Mentally it has hit me very hard, I am a completely different person than I was 20 months ago.”
Although it has been two years since she first developed Ramsay Hunt syndrome, Rescorla says she still feels pain every daydespite medication.
“My face hasn’t fully recovered, and probably won’t now.”
But she hopes her balance will improve.
Create awareness
Justin Bieber described his situation as “pretty serious”.
Rescorla says that talking regarding having the condition is very important for other people who also have it.
image source, Getty Images
Bieber canceled his next concerts because of the syndrome.
“It’s a powerful thing for people like me and others who are suffering from Ramsay Hunt syndrome.”
“I mean, I never thought I’d hear regarding this on TV.”
She also thinks it is vital to raise awareness, as there has been a lot misinformation circulating around this condition.
For example, on social networks, there are posts linking Ramsay Hunt syndrome with the covid-19 vaccine.
Despite these speculations, there is no evidence to show a connection between the two.
Now you can receive notifications from BBC World. Download the new version of our app and activate it so you don’t miss out on our best content.
