What is stiff person syndrome? Celine Dion diagnosed with rare condition that turns people into 'human statues'
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA: Celina Dion has been diagnosed with a rare and incurable neurological disease. The 54-year-old Canadian singer on Thursday, December 8, revealed that she has Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS), a neurological condition that turns victims into 'human statues' after locking their bodies into rigid positions.
The ‘All by Myself’ hitmaker announced the heart-shattering news on her deteriorating health after being forced to cancel and reschedule her coming European tour. "Hello everyone, im sorry it's taken me so long to reach out to you. I miss you all so much and can’t wait to be on stage talking to you in person. As you know I’ve always been an open book and I wasn’t ready to say anything before but im ready now," Dion said in an Instagram post.
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"I’ve been dealing with problems with my health for a long time and its been really difficult for me to face my challenges and to talk about everything that I’ve been going through." The singer continued, "Recently I’ve been diagnosed with a very rare neurological disorder called the stiff person syndrome which affects 1 in a million people. While we’re still learning about this rare condition, we now know this is what’s been causing all the spasms I’ve been having."
Detailing about the rare disease, Dion explained that the condition affects her ability to perform and sing, as well as to carry out normal activities. "Unfortunately, these spasms affect every aspect of my daily life sometimes causing difficulties when I walk and not allowing me to use my vocal chords to sing the way im used to," she explained.
Due to this disease, the singer has cancelled her shows slated to take place in 2023 and has rescheduled her Spring 2023 shows to 2024. She also revealed that she has a team of doctors who are working relentlessly to help her fight against the rare disease. "It hurts me to tell you today that this means I won’t be ready to restart my tour in Europe in February. I have a great team of doctors working alongside me to help me get better and my precious children who are supporting me and giving me help. I'm working hard with my sports medicine therapist every day to build back my strength and my ability to perform again but I have to admit it’s been a struggle," she added.
"For me to reach you again I have no choice but to concentrate on my health at this moment and I have hope that im on the road to recovery. This is my focus and I'm doing everything I can to recuperate. I want to thank you so much for your wishes and love and support on my social media. This means a lot to me. Take care of yourselves. Be well. I love you guys so much and I really hope I can see you again real soon," she asserted. Celine first sparked fans' concerns about her health after she canceled the North American dates of her Courage world tour due to the same health issue.
Talking about her personal life, the five-time Grammy Award winner shares three children - Rene-Charles, 21, and twins Nelson and Eddy, 12 – with her late husband René Angélil. Celine first met Rene when she was just 12 and Rene was 38 years old. Rene soon started working as her manager. The pair officially started dating in 1987. After dating each other for approximately 4 years, the couple got engaged in 1991. In December 1994 they married in Montreal's Notre Dame Basilica, which became the venue for their eldest son Rene-Charles' christening and Rene's funeral. Rene died in 2016, aged 71, after suffering a cardiac arrest while battling vicious throat cancer.