Rigid individual condition - Céline Dion describes her illness as feeling like someone is strangling her.
Celine Dion has openly discussed her fight with the unusual medical condition known as Stiff-Person Syndrome. This disease, one which emerged as a diagnosis for her in 2022, caused her to cancel her "Courage" tour.
Since then, she's been less visible in the public eye. Recently, Dion spoke to a US broadcaster about living with this uncommon, autoimmune disease. Excerpts from this interview, conducted by journalist Hoda Kotb for the "NBC Nightly News," have been released by the entertainment service "ET online" and will be aired on June 11.
The condition impairs motor functions, causing muscles to become stiff and spasm. Dion remarked, "It's just like someone is drowning you!" As she imitated this, she placed her hands around her neck to show how it feels. She described this pressure as if "someone is pressing on your throat."
Medicine offers no relief
In December, Dion's sister, Claudette, shared an update about her health: "She's working hard, but she has no control over her muscles." While doctors, the best specialists in this domain, were consulted, they "couldn't find any medications that work."
This syndrome affects her vocal cords and the singing star finds it challenging to cook. Since her fingers and hands can suddenly stiffen and become immobile while she's cooking, causing her to be unable to resume the task. The disease, which can also affect other parts of the body such as the abdomen, spine, and ribs, resulted in Dion breaking a few ribs in the past. To illustrate the severity of the spasms, she explained, "sometimes, when the spasms are very strong, it can cause bone fractures."
Determined to return to the stage
Dion remains hopeful of returning to the stage. In March of 2024, she disclosed her desire to "stand on stage again and to live as normally as possible" via her Instagram account.
Fans can anticipate a documentary about Dion's life, "I Am: Celine Dion," which will stream on Amazon Prime Video starting June 25. This documentary will go deeper into her health issues, as she expresses, "[It's not] hard to create a show. It's hard to cancel one," adding sadly, "If I can't run, I'll crawl. But I won't give up!"
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Celine Dion's uncommon autoimmune disease, Stiff-Person Syndrome, has also impacted artists like Hoda Kotb's guest, Claudette Dion. As Hoda mentioned in her interview, medication has not proved effective in relieving the symptoms of this disease for Celine Dion. Despite the challenges, Celine remains determined to perform again, expressing her desire to "stand on stage again and to live as normally as possible."
