'She is the picture of resilience': Celine Dion is 'doing everything' to return to stage amid health issues
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA: After the 'My Heart Will Go On' singer Céline Dion, 54 revealed she was diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome and would consequentially be postponing upcoming concert dates, reports are that she is focusing on her health and children. The singer is doing everything in her power to get better. On Thursday, 8 December the Canadian Singer in a tearful video posted to her Instagram account in both English and French, said her condition would force her to postpone and cancel a series of upcoming concert dates.
According to the Stiff Person Syndrome Foundation, the disorder affects the central nervous system, notably the brain and spinal cord. "Patients can be disabled, wheelchair-bound, or bed-ridden, unable to work or care for themselves," they write, adding that the autoimmune neurological disease can cause symptoms such as "hyper-rigidity, debilitating pain, chronic anxiety," and muscle spasms "so violent they can dislocate joints and even break bones."
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"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 that I've been going through," Dion, 54, wrote in the caption of the post. "It hurts me to tell you that I won't be ready to restart my tour in Europe in February." She announced her condition as she broke into tears stating, "Recently, I've been diagnosed with a very rare neurological condition called a stiff-person syndrome, which affects something like one in a million people," she said in her video. "While we're still learning about this rare condition, we now know that this is what has been causing all of the spasms that I've been having."
Now a day after, "Celine is overwhelmed and moved by the outpouring of love and support from her fans," a source told PEOPLE on Friday. "It's been a very difficult time and she has a hard road ahead of her, but she is doing everything she can to get back on stage and see her fans," the source added, "They have always been there for her. For now, she is focusing on her health and her children. She is the picture of resilience," referring to Dion and her three boys with her late husband René Angélil — René-Charles, 21, and 11-year-old twins Nelson and Eddy.