John Peasah, a renowned actor from the hit TV series YOLO, has opened up about his struggles with Stiff Person Syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that has left him in a dire situation.
In an interview with DJ Slim on Daybreak Hitz on Hitz FM, Peasah revealed that his journey to diagnosis was prolonged, with numerous hospital visits yielding no answers. “That is where they noticed that I’m suffering from Stiff Person Syndrome, and it took them four months to diagnose me,” he said.
Peasah explained that his symptoms, including progressive muscular rigidity and stiffness, primarily affecting his truncal muscles, have been unresponsive to treatment. “My neurologist at the Bank Hospital was the one who diagnosed the whole thing for me. At the end of the day, Korle-Bu came up with the same thing,” he added.
The actor also disclosed his struggles with sleep apnea, a recently diagnosed condition that requires him to use a sleep pap machine. “I realized that I was not having sleep apnea, but the sleep apnea was diagnosed recently, and I have to use the sleep pap machine because, according to them, anytime I sleep, I seize to breathe within thirty minutes, I can go off.”
Peasah emphasized the severity of his condition, noting that his heart can be the only functioning organ until he wakes up. He also expressed surprise at his diagnosis, as Stiff Person Syndrome is typically associated with individuals with a larger body size.
“My own, I don’t know where it is coming from, so that is how come it confuses the doctors; they don’t know what is going on, and we know that Stiff Person Syndrome is very hard to diagnose,” he said.
Despite the challenges, Peasah expressed gratitude for the foreign doctor who helped diagnose his condition. “The disease is very hard to diagnose, and I’m just grateful they found out what exactly is wrong with me.”
