Céline Dion, 54, announced that in an emotional video (previously recorded) on her instagram account that she was been diagnosed with a rare and incurable neurological condition known as stiff-person syndrome. Due to this recent diagnosis, she has to cancel the rest of her tour dates until further notice.
The five minute video, which can be viewed below, shows an emotional Dion as she explains that she likes to be transparent but was not ready to reveal her diagnosis right away. It is unclear when Dion found out she had stiff-person’s syndrome. However, Dion revealed that she hasn’t felt herself in years. “I’ve been dealing with problems with my health for a long time, and it’s been really difficult for me to face these challenges and to talk about everything I’ve gone through,” she said in the video. “Recently, I’ve been diagnosed with a very rare neurological disorder called the stiff-person syndrome…While we’re still learning about this rare condition, we now know this is what’s been causing all of the spasms that I’ve been having”
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Dion went on to say that the spasms have been affecting her on a daily basis in every aspect of her life — including allowing her to use her vocal cords to sing. The prepared video also shows Dion struggling to get through the announcement, as well as, taking her time to release details with multiple pauses showing a tiny bit of the struggle she has been dealing with. While her voice sounds the same it’s clear this is going to be a hard road for Dion but that she plans on doing everything she can to get back on the road and tour once again.
Stiff-person syndrome (SPS), is a neurological and autoimmune disorder that causes muscles to stiffen progressively, causing painful and debilitating spasms. Depending on the severity of the condition, some diagnosed with the disease even find themselves having trouble walking or just doing regular daily activities. The U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) said that people who have SPS can become unbalanced extremely easily, causing them to fall and get injured. NINDS added that a lot of patients become so scared of the disease and its spontaneous affects that they do not want to leave the house.
While it’s unclear the stage of Dion’s SPS — the NINDS says the disease is can be very frightening, while the disease is not curable, through medication it is possible to alleviate the symptoms. Dion ended the video on a hopeful note adding, “It’s been a struggle…I have hope that I’m on the road to recovery.”
Dion will appear on the big screen in a new movie called, It’s All Coming Back To Me Now sometime next year.
Everyone here at TWE sends Céline Dion their wishes for a speedy, painless recovery. We all hope to see her again on tour doing the thing that she loves as soon as she can. We love you Céline.
Monica has a BA in Journalism and English from the University of Massachusetts and an MS in Journalism and Communications from Quinnipiac University. Monica has worked as a journalist for over 20 years covering all things entertainment. She has covered everything from San Diego Comic-Con, The SAG Awards, Academy Awards, and more. Monica has been published in Variety, Swagger Magazine, Emmy Magazine, CNN, AP, Hidden Remote, and more. For the past 10 years, she has added PR and marketing to her list of talents as the president of Prime Entertainment Publicity, LLC. Monica is ready for anything and is proudly obsessed with pop culture.
