- Paul Glenn
- BBC
Celine Dion has revealed that she suffers from stiff person syndrome, a rare neurological disorder with characteristics of an autoimmune disease.
The Canadian singer told her 5.2 million Instagram followers that the illness was causing her muscles to spasm.
The singer has become unable to walk easily due to the illness and has difficulty singing, she said, and that means she will be unable to attend concerts scheduled for next year in the UK and Europe.
“I’ve had health issues for a long time and it’s been hard for me to face these challenges and talk about everything I’ve been through,” Dion said in an emotional video interview.
He added: ‘I was recently diagnosed with a rare neurological disease called ‘stiff person syndrome’ which affects one in a million people. Although we are still studying this disease, we now know it is behind the spasms I have recently been suffering from. and they affect all aspects of my life.”My daily life, unfortunately, sometimes makes it difficult for me to walk and use my vocal chords to sing as I used to.”
“It pains me to tell you today that this means I will not be able to resume my European trip in February,” he said, addressing his fans.
The star, who won an Oscar for her song “My Heart Will Continue Its Journey,” which she sang in the film “Titanic,” said in 2014 that she would freeze her artistic activity indefinitely, as her husband, Rene Angelil, he was battling cancer.
Although he resumed his activities after a year, he left the stage again in early 2016, after the departure of Angelil and his brother Daniel Dion.
Dion returned to singing in 2019 with her album titled ‘Courage’ which featured collaborations with Sia, Sam Smith and David Guetta.
After the release of the album, the star went on a concert tour around the world, which she had to interrupt due to the Covid epidemic. She too this year was forced to change the dates of the scheduled concerts, after suffering from “strong and continuous muscle spasms”.
Some concerts have been rescheduled, while others have been cancelled.
Dion reassured her fans that she is being looked after by an amazing team of doctors to improve her condition, while getting the support of her “precious children.”
She explained that she is making great efforts every day with medical trainers to rehabilitate her and return her to a position that qualifies her to sing again, but admitted she is in pain.
“Singing is all I’m good at, it’s something I’ve done all my life and something I love to do,” she said.
And he added: “I miss you so much, I miss seeing you on stage, I miss singing for you. I always give all my energy to what I do, which I can’t do now”.
The artiste waved to his audience while fighting back tears thanking them for their support, emphasizing that he had no choice but to focus on his health. She expressed hope that she is on the road to recovery.
What is the syndrome The stiff person“Does he have a cure?
It is a rare condition and there is no complete medical understanding of it.
image copyright Getty Images
Dion has canceled her concerts and expressed in an emotional speech to her fans that she hopes to return
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders, they have “fluctuating stiffness of the muscles of the trunk and extremities and increased sensitivity to stimuli such as noise, touch and emotional disturbances, which can lead to muscle spasms.”
The institute also notes that “abnormal (body) positions, often convex and rigid, are characteristic of this disorder.”
“People with stiff person syndrome may not be able to walk or move, or they may be afraid to leave the house because street noise, such as the sound of car horns, can trigger their contractions and they fall.”
“Most people with SPS experience frequent falls, and because they lack normal defensive reflexes, injuries can be severe.”
While there is no cure for stiff person syndrome, there are medications, including anti-anxiety drugs and muscle relaxants, that can slow its progression.
