Fifty-four-year-old popular Canadian singer Celine Dion has been diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS), which causes her muscles to tense uncontrollably.
The condition ultimately leaves sufferers as ‘human statues’ as it progressively locks the body into rigid positions, leaving people unable to walk or talk.
While there is no cure for SPS, there are treatments to slow down the progression, with Celine revealing she is doing all she can to minimise symptoms.
According to Daily Mail Online reports, Celine Dion addressed her fans in a tearful Instagram post on Thursday, December 8, 2022, revealing that it had forced her to cancel her European tour.
She penned: ‘”Hello everyone, I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to reach out to you. I miss you all so much and can’t wait to talk to you in person on stage.
“As you know, I’ve always been an open book. I wasn’t ready to say anything before, but I’m ready now.
“I’ve been dealing with problems with my health for a long time, and it’s been difficult for me to face my challenges and to talk about everything that I’ve been going through.
“Recently I’ve been diagnosed with a very rare neurological disorder called the stiff person syndrome, which affects one 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 the impact the condition has had on her, Celine continued: “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 I’m used to.
“It hurts me to tell you today that 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 are supporting me and giving me help.
“I’m working daily with my sports medicine therapist to build back my strength and ability to perform again, but I have to admit it’s been a struggle.
“All I know is singing is what I’ve done all my life and it’s what I love to do the most.
“I miss you so much. I miss seeing all of you being on the stage performing for you.
“I always give 100 percent when I do my show, but my condition does not allow me to give you that right now.
“For me to reach you again, I have no choice but to concentrate on my health now, and I hope I 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 hope to see you again soon.”
Celine first hinted at her health woes in January when she cancelled the North American dates of her Courage world tour from March 9 to April 22.
The announcement came three months after she had to cancel the start of her Las Vegas comeback residency over the same health issue.
Celine has become known as the ‘Queen Of Las Vegas’ because of her enormously successful residencies there.
After retiring from her famous Caesars Palace residency in 2019, she was coaxed back to Sin City to perform at the new Resorts World on the Strip.
A statement on her website said that Celine “recently has been treated for severe and persistent muscle spasms which are preventing her from performing, and her recovery is taking longer than she hoped.
“Her medical team continues to evaluate and treat the condition.”
Celine added: “I was hoping I’d be good to go by now, but I suppose I just have to be more patient and follow the regimen my doctors prescribe.
“There’s a lot of organizing and preparation that goes into our shows, so we have to make decisions today which will affect the plans two months down the road. I’ll be so glad to get back to full health, as well as all of us getting past this pandemic, and I can’t wait to be back on stage again.
“Meanwhile, I’ve been very touched by all the encouragement everyone sends to me on social media. I feel your love and support; it means the world to me.”
In 2019, Celine sparked concern among her followers who accused her of being ‘too thin’.
The Canadian songstress told Entertainment Tonight that ‘she’s always been very thin,’ adding “Is there anything wrong about my body?”
She continued: “When you go back to when I was 12 years old, my face was rounder because you have more fat and are younger… But I’ve always been very thin.”
The SPS diagnosis is the latest tragedy to befall Celine following her husband Rene Angelil’s death aged 73 in 2016.
Celine has three sons with her late husband: Rene-Charles, 21, and twins Nelson and Eddy, 12.
She met Rene in Canada when she was 12 years old and an aspiring singer, and he was already 38. He became her manager.
His dedication to nurturing her career reportedly drove him to mortgage his home so that he could provide funding for her 1981 debut album La Voix du Bon Dieu.
Rene and Celine officially began dating in 1987—when she was just 19 and he was 45—and got engaged in 1991.
However, she publicized their romance only in 1993, slipping the announcement into the liner notes of her album The Colour Of My Love.
In December 1994, they married in Montreal’s Notre-Dame Basilica, which also hosted their eldest son Rene-Charles’ christening and funeral.
Rene died at 73 of a heart attack while suffering from terminal throat cancer in January 2016. Two days later, Celine lost her brother Daniel to throat cancer.
That August, Celine released a tribute album to him in French entitled Encore un Soir, with a single of the same name that was a hit in francophone markets.
This rare condition is a neurological disorder. Its origin is unclear.
As the name suggests, it progressively locks the body into rigid positions, starting with the truncal muscles (torso and neck, spreading into the limbs).
As the disease progresses, patients sometimes become unable to walk or bend.
Interestingly, it affects twice as many women as men.
It is frequently associated with other autoimmune diseases such as diabetes, thyroiditis, vitiligo, and pernicious anaemia.
Treatment involves anti-anxiety drugs, muscle relaxants, anti-convulsants, and pain relievers, which improve the symptoms, but there is no cure.
Sources: National Institute of Neurological Disorders
Credit: Daily Mail Online
