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A number of notable people have been affected by the rare peripheral nervous system condition Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS).

• Ryūtarō Arimura, vocalist for Japanese rock band Plastic Tree: His case was detected and treated early, and Arimura was able to return to touring within three months.
• Kim Atienza, Filipino television personality and former politician
• Markus Babbel, former international footballer, contracted GBS in 2001, following a period suffering from the Epstein–Barr virus. He lost almost an entire year of his footballing career between the two illnesses.
• Tony Benn, British politician
• Jake Burton Carpenter, founder, Burton Snowboards, Miller Fisher variant.
• Rich Ceisler, American standup comedian, became sick while performing on a cruise ship and died soon after.
• Rachel Chagall, actress, contracted GBS in 1982. In 1987, she portrayed Gabriela Brimmer, a notable disabilities activist.
• Montell Cozart, a quarterback in the Canadian Football League and USFL was diagnosed following the 2023 USFL season.
• Alastair Clarkson, Australian football coach.
• Tom Edlefsen, American tennis player, made the fourth round of Wimbledon in 1968, a year after he developed GBS.
• Mike Egener, Canadian hockey player
• Vicente Fernández, Mexican ranchera singer and actor.
• Anthony Fisher, Catholic Archbishop of Sydney
• Travis Frederick, NFL all-pro center for the Dallas Cowboys
• Rowdy Gaines, American Olympic Gold Medalist in swimming.
• Samuel Goldstein, American athlete and Paralympian
• Andy Griffith, an American actor best known for The Andy Griffith Show and Matlock, developed GBS in 1983.
• Joseph Heller, author, contracted GBS in 1981. This episode in his life is recounted in the autobiographical No Laughing Matter.
• Lucia Hippolito, Brazilian journalist and political pundit.
• Christopher Cross, American singer-songwriter and guitarist was diagnosed with GBS in 2020.
• Luci Baines Johnson, daughter of President Lyndon Johnson and Lady Bird Johnson, was diagnosed and under treatment for GBS in April 2010.
• Michael Joncas, priest and composer, best known for his hymn, "On Eagle's Wings"
• Rafael Martin, Mexican-American former professional baseball player for the Washington Nationals
• Hugh McElhenny, former professional American football player with the San Francisco 49ers
• Scott McKenzie (born Philip Wallach Blondheim), American singer and songwriter most notable for "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)", died in 2012 at the age 73 from GBS.
• Sabine Moussier, Mexican actress
• Lena Nyman, Swedish actress
• Lucky Oceans, Grammy Award-winning musician with Asleep at the Wheel, was diagnosed with GBS in 2008.
• Len Pasquarelli, sports writer and analyst for ESPN and resident of the Pro Football Writers of America, was diagnosed in 2008.
• Serge Payer, Canadian-born professional hockey player; after battling and overcoming the syndrome, set up the Serge Payer Foundation to raise money for GBS research.
• William "The Refrigerator" Perry, former professional American football player with the Chicago Bears, was diagnosed with GBS in 2008.
• Fabio Pisacane, Italian footballer
• Toni Rüttimann, bridge builder in developing countries; used his rehabilitation time in Thailand (2002) to develop software to support bridge construction.
• Norton Simon, American industrialist and philanthropist
• Kay Smith, Illinois Artist Laureate, diagnosed with GBS at age 73, able to continue painting and teaching after extensive rehabilitation
• Sufjan Stevens, American musician
• Kelly-Marie Stewart, British actress
• Óscar Tabárez, manager of the Uruguay national football team
• Hans Vonk, Dutch conductor
• Morten Wieghorst, Danish former footballer and football coach
• Danny Wuerffel, 1996 Heisman Trophy winner from the University of Florida
• Lionel Shriver, American author

Possible cases

• Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States, was stricken with a paralytic illness in 1921, at age 39. His main symptoms were fever; symmetric, ascending paralysis; facial paralysis; bowel and bladder dysfunction; numbness and hyperesthesia; and a descending pattern of recovery. He was left permanently paralyzed from the waist down. Roosevelt was diagnosed with "infantile paralysis" (paralytic polio) at the time, but his symptoms are more consistent with Guillain–Barré syndrome, which his doctors failed to consider as a diagnostic possibility. See Franklin D. Roosevelt's paralytic illness for more information.
• Alexander the Great died of an illness that started after a night of drinking 12 pints of wine. The next morning he had generalised aches, the day after sharp abdominal pain and a fever increasingly raged. Bedridden in pain, he gradually lost the ability to move, to the point, 8 days later of just flickering his eyes or twitch his hands. His cognition was not affected. The symptoms all fit with Guillain–Barré syndrome. His minimal respiratory movements may even have deceived the physicians that the now comatose king was dead when he was in fact still alive, explaining the supposed divine lack of decomposition of his body days after his death.

References

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2. Santos, Jamil (August 29, 2022). "Kuya Kim, inalala ang laban sa Guillain-Barré Syndrome na P300-P500K kada araw ang gamutan" [Kuya Kim reminisces about his fight against Guillain-Barré Syndrome, which medications cost P300-P500K per day]. GMA News (in Tagalog). Retrieved September 26, 2022.
3. Wallace, Sam (2002-08-10). "Grateful Babbel a tower of strength again". London: Telegraph. Retrieved 2009-11-23.
4. Lea, Robert (2002-10-17). "Relative Values: Tony and Josh Benn". The Times. London. Retrieved 2009-01-15.
5. Interview: How I Built This
6. Procida, Billy. "Comedian Rich Ceisler dies from rare Guillain–Barré syndrome". Laughspin.com. Archived from the original on August 6, 2014. Retrieved 5 August 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
7. "Gaby - A True Story". Archived from the original on 2020-07-08. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
8. https://www.kmbc.com/article/former-ku-quarterback-usfl-guillain-barre-kansas/45212429
9. "Health crisis forces Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson to take a break". 27 May 2014.
10. Los Angeles Times, "Tom Edlefsen Beats Virus", 30 June 1968
11. "Egener illness forces contract cancellation - Coventry Blaze Ice Hockey Club". www.coventryblaze.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2013-09-03.
12. "Vicente Fernández padece el síndrome de Guillain-Barré". Los Angeles Times (in Spanish). 20 August 2021.
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15. "Rowdy Gaines", May 23, 2009 Rowdy Gaines Official Bio
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17. "Andy in Guideposts Magazine".
18. Vogel, Speed; Heller, Joseph (2004). No Laughing Matter. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-7432-4717-5.
19. "Luci Baines Johnson hospitalized with nervous system disorder".
20. Carroll, Julie (19 May 2010). "Priest-composer sees faith with new eyes after recovery from illness". Catholic News Service. Archived from the original on March 22, 2019.
21. Arancivia, Gerardo (17 June 2021). "#FuerzaRafaMartín: Diagnostican al pelotero de Saraperos con síndrome de Guillain-Barré". Zócalo (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 June 2021.
22. Raley, Dan (2004-09-02). "The untold story of Hugh McElhenny, the King of Montlake". Seattle PI. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
23. "Scott McKenzie Dead". Celebritydiagnosis.com. 2012-08-21. Retrieved 2012-10-20.
24. "Sabine Moussier sobre su enfermedad: "Desde hace cinco meses no me levanto"". People en español. 18 March 2010.
25. "Lucky Oceans in hospital". The Australian. 2008-10-13. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
26. "Chris Mortensen on Len Pasquarelli's comeback". ESPN.com. 2009-01-26. Retrieved 2009-01-26.
27. "Serge Payer Foundation". Retrieved 21 June 2019.
28. "Tatum, Perry change perceptions of athletes". YumaSun.com. 2008-09-08. Archived from the original on 2008-09-28. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
29. "The Guardian's inaugural Footballer of the Year: Cagliari's Fabio Pisacane". The Guardian. 2016-12-29. Retrieved 2018-01-01.
30. Gallanti, Fabrizio (30 November 2006). "The bridge builder". Domus. Italy.
31. "Norton Simon Biography". Retrieved 13 October 2009.
32. Artist Discovers That A Still Life Can Be Moving
33. "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
34. Sutton, Jessica (23 July 2012). "Kelly-Marie Stewart: disability and motherhood". Retrieved 3 January 2013.
35. "Tabarez: The School Teacher Who Educated Uruguay". Associated Press. 9 June 2018.
36. Kozinn, Allan (2004-08-31). "Hans Vonk, 63, Conductor Of the St. Louis Symphony". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-08-26.
37. "Recovering Wieghorst is now talking". BBC News. 2000-11-01.
38. Dooley, Pat. "Wuerffel hospitalized to treat nervous system disorder". Gatorsports.com. Archived from the original on 17 June 2011. Retrieved 16 June 2011.
39. Shriver, Lionel. "Whatever happened to Lionel Shriver?". The Spectator. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
40. Goldman AS, Schmalstieg EJ, Freeman DH, Goldman DA, Schmalstieg FC (2003). "What was the cause of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's paralytic illness?" (PDF). J Med Biogr. 11 (4): 232–40. doi:10.1177/096777200301100412. PMID 14562158. S2CID 39957366. Retrieved 2017-07-04.
41. Goldman, Armond S.; Goldman, Daniel A. (2017). Prisoners of Time: The Misdiagnosis of FDR's 1921 Illness. EHDP Press. ISBN 978-1939824035.
42. Hall, Katherine (January 2019). "Did Alexander the Great Die from Guillain-Barré Syndrome?". The Ancient History Bulletin. 32:3-4: 106–128.

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