Caleño woke up unable to move his arms and ended up paralyzed for four months: the young man who survives Guillain-Barré syndrome | DNA Diary

Sebastián’s life changed in a matter of hours. What started as a normal day, with a gym routine and a meal out, ended up becoming a battle to survive a rare disease which left him completely paralyzed for four months.

The 23-year-old young man from Cali shared his story through his Instagram account, @sebastianc.x. He has documented the recovery process he has faced since being diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) on April 19, 2025.

Today, after months of hospitalization, therapy and rehabilitationassures that he is taking his first steps, although he still continues to use a wheelchair and remains immersed in a long process to recover his physical and motor abilities.

According to Sebastián on social networks, the disease appeared suddenly. “It all started one morning when I woke up and couldn’t move my arms.”, he said.

After being transferred to a hospital, he began a series of medical examinations without clear answers. However, the situation quickly worsened. “I lost consciousness and woke up intubated in the ICU”he recalled.

What came next was a fight that lasted for months. “I was completely paralyzed for four months. I spent a total of four months in the ICU fighting for my life and to get better”he explained.

During that time, both he and his family faced the uncertainty of not knowing what the outcome would be.

“Nobody knew if he was going to succeed or not.”, he assured.

In another of his publications, Sebastián recalled in detail the hours before the onset of the illness.

He said that on April 18, the day before the diagnosis, he woke up wanting to go out to eat after training his legs at the gym.

“I didn’t know what I wanted to eat. I just had that feeling“, he said. What he also did not imagine was that that day would be an involuntary farewell to the life he knew.

“What I also didn’t know was that this would be one of the last times I would live a normal routine.“, he wrote. Hours later the symptoms began that would end up radically changing his reality. “Guillain-Barré arrived and everything changed”, he stated.

According to information from the Mayo Cliniche Guillain-Barré syndrome It is a rare disease in which the immune system mistakenly attacks peripheral nerves.

The first symptoms usually include tingling, muscle weakness and loss of strengthusually in the legs and arms. In more severe cases, the disease can progress to total paralysis and even compromise the muscles responsible for breathing.

The World Health Organization (WHO) points out that it is a rare but life-threatening conditionwhich requires immediate medical attention and, in many cases, admission to intensive care units.

According to the international entity, approximately one third of patients may have respiratory muscle involvement, while The most severe cases can lead to almost complete paralysis.

Both the WHOas Mayo Clinic and MedlinePlus They agree that there is currently no definitive cure for Guillain-Barré syndrome.

However, there are treatments that allow reduce the intensity of symptoms, control complications and accelerate recovery.

Among them are the intravenous immunoglobulin and the plasmapheresisprocedures aimed at reducing the immune response that attacks the nerves.

Specialists also warn that physical rehabilitation plays a fundamental role once the most critical phase of the disease has passed. Recovery can take weeks, months or even yearsdepending on each patient.

For Sebastián, overcoming the life risk was just the beginning of another challenge.

“I thought my battle was against the disease. But when I survived, I understood that my real challenge was just beginning“, wrote.

Among the challenges he faces, he mentioned accept the physical changes caused by the disease, learn to be patient during recovery and stop comparing yourself with the person he was before.

“Now I face something much more difficult: making peace with the person I was before Guillain-Barré and learning to love the person I am rebuilding.”, he expressed.

In another publication, he acknowledged that he still misses the life he had before the diagnosis.

“I miss that version of me that the disease took from me. I miss the life I had, the body I knew and the person I was before all this.”.

However, he also stated that the experience allowed him to discover a strength that he did not know about.

More than a year after that morning that took him to the ICU, Sebastián continues to share progress on his recovery.

Although he is still partially dependent on a wheelchair and is still undergoing rehabilitation, he celebrates every step achieved. “I’m finally taking my first steps”, he said recently.

He also assures that the process has left him profound lessons about health, family, discipline and resilience.

“Guillain-Barré syndrome has taught me about patience, family, discipline, pain and a strength I didn’t know I had“, wrote.

For the young man from Cali, every workout, every meal and every everyday moment acquired a different meaning after having faced a disease that, according to the WHO, can put life at risk and cause total paralysis.

As he continues to progress in his rehabilitation, his story has become a testimony of survival and adaptation facing a medical condition as rare as it is unpredictable. Far from considering this stage closed, Sebastián recognizes that the recovery continues.

One of the most complex characteristics of Guillain-Barré syndrome is that, although many people manage to recover, the road is usually long and requires months or years of physical, emotional and medical work.

For now, the young man continues to share his evolution from Cali, with the hope of regaining more and more autonomy and inspiring other people who are going through similar processes. “Taking it day by day as a lesson in life”he summarizes himself.