Severe seizures - Heartbreaking scenes in Céline Dion's documentary
The Amazon doc "I Am: Celine Dion" was announced in the lead-up to its release on June 25th with the words that it would offer an "unfiltered and honest look behind the scenes of the legendary superstar's battle with a life-changing illness". In some parts of the documentary, this is quite literally the case: it provides excruciating, barely endurable insights into the Star's struggle with Stiff Person Syndrome, which she has been suffering from for years.
The most distressing moment in "I Am: Celine Dion" occurs towards the end - a full-length seizure attack of the 56-year-old is shown in its entirety, striking her with full force. She is still laughing on a massage bed when the first signs of the impending seizure appear in her feet. Just a few seconds later, the Star is no longer able to move.
As viewers, we can hardly bear the singer's pain. She is only able to moan in response to the painful spasms; her tear-streaked, swollen face is contorted into a grimace. Her upper lip begins to twitch uncontrollably, and her moans turn into agonized screams.
She grants these intimate glimpses
The ordeal lasts for almost ten minutes before her muscles relax and she is able to get up again. But what follows is at least as difficult for her: "Every time this happens, you feel so embarrassed and ... I don't know how to express it. You don't want to give up control over yourself, do you?"
So why does she grant such a detailed, unsparing look at her suffering in the first place? She explained this before the release of the doc: "During my absence [from the stage], I decided to document this part of my life and try to sharpen public awareness of this little-known condition, to help others who share this diagnosis."
With "I Am: Celine Dion", the Singer takes back the control that has been taken from her by her illness - not by submitting to it, but by finding something positive in it.
You can witness Céline Dion granting intimate glimpses of her struggle in the documentary "I Am: Celine Dion," available on Prime Video. In this documentary, she bravely shares her experiences with Severe seizures due to Stiff Person Syndrome, providing an unfiltered look at her life-changing battle. Towards the end, a full-length seizure attack is depicted, showing the singer's undeniable suffering during the episode.
