Celine Dion shares heartbreaking ‘one in a million’ diagnosis
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Celine Dion is a legendary singer renowned the world over for her powerful soul-stirring vocals and stage presence.
The singer, known for her chart-topping hits such as ‘The Power of Love’, ‘Because You Loved Me’, ‘It’s All Coming Back To Me Now’, and ‘My Heart Will Go On’, is very much up and at it at 54 years old.
In 2019, she embarked on her Courage World Tour, which, like nearly everything in the COVID pandemic, was forced to halt.
Her tour again suffered cancellations in January and April of this year over unspecified health reasons.
Fans were supposed to have a renewed chance at seeing her perform live, but they may have to shelve their plans indefinitely over a heartbreaking announcement from Dion.
‘Hello everyone, I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to reach out to you,’ she began in an Instagram post.
‘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 I’m ready now.
Dion, seemingly fighting tears in her address, shared that she has been going through some health problems and that it’s been difficult to be open with her life outside of the stage.
‘Recently I’ve been diagnosed with a very rare neurological disorder called the Stiff Person Syndrome which affects one in a million people,’ she continued.
‘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.
‘Unfortunately, these spasms affect every aspect of my daily life, sometimes causing difficulties when I walk and not allowing me to use my vocal cords to sing the way I’m used to.’
Due to her diagnosis, Dion cancelled eight tour dates supposed to take place in Europe.
‘It hurts me to tell you… this means I won’t be ready to restart my tour… in February.’
She said she’s been working closely with her doctors and her therapist to keep her in as much shape as possible to perform.
‘But I have to admit it’s been a struggle,’ she shared.
‘All I know is singing. It’s what I’ve done all my life, and it’s what I love to do the most.’
‘I always give a hundred per cent when I do my shows, but my condition is not allowing me to do that right now.
‘For me to reach you again, I have no choice but to concentrate on my health at this moment.’
In the meantime, Dion said, her focus will be on recuperating and doing everything in her power to get better.
She also gave some time to show gratitude for the tide of well-wishes she received.
‘I want to thank you so much for your encouraging wishes of love and support on my social media. This means a lot to me.’
Ending her message barely keeping her tears in check, she wished for viewers to be healthy.
‘I love you guys so much, and I really hope I can see you guys soon.’
Fans can find the cancelled dates here.
So what is Stiff Person Syndrome?
According to the US-based National Organisation for Rare Disorders (NORD), the disease, also known as SPS or Moersch-Woltman Syndrome is characterised by worsening stiffness in the muscles and episodes of painful muscle spasms.
NORD notes the severity of SPS varies between individuals. If untreated, the disease may lead to difficulty walking and impact normal range of movement.
The cause of SPS is unknown, but it is suspected that it is auto-immune in origin, similar to diseases like lupus where the body attacks its own cells.
Unfortunately, there is no known cure for SPS, but symptoms may be treated with a targeted focus on muscles via relaxants and sedatives.
We wish Dion the best moving forward.
What is your reaction to this announcement from Dion?
Source: Instagram/@celinedion
The singer, known for her chart-topping hits such as ‘The Power of Love’, ‘Because You Loved Me’, ‘It’s All Coming Back To Me Now’, and ‘My Heart Will Go On’, is very much up and at it at 54 years old.
In 2019, she embarked on her Courage World Tour, which, like nearly everything in the COVID pandemic, was forced to halt.
Her tour again suffered cancellations in January and April of this year over unspecified health reasons.
Fans were supposed to have a renewed chance at seeing her perform live, but they may have to shelve their plans indefinitely over a heartbreaking announcement from Dion.
‘Hello everyone, I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to reach out to you,’ she began in an Instagram post.
‘I miss you all so much and can’t wait to be on stage talking to you in person.’
Dion shared the devastating news with her fans in an Instagram post. Screengrab Credit: Instagram/@celinedion
‘As you know I’ve always been an open book and I wasn’t ready to say anything before, but I’m ready now.
Dion, seemingly fighting tears in her address, shared that she has been going through some health problems and that it’s been difficult to be open with her life outside of the stage.
‘Recently I’ve been diagnosed with a very rare neurological disorder called the Stiff Person Syndrome which affects one in a million people,’ she continued.
‘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.
‘Unfortunately, these spasms affect every aspect of my daily life, sometimes causing difficulties when I walk and not allowing me to use my vocal cords to sing the way I’m used to.’
Due to her diagnosis, Dion cancelled eight tour dates supposed to take place in Europe.
‘It hurts me to tell you… this means I won’t be ready to restart my tour… in February.’
She said she’s been working closely with her doctors and her therapist to keep her in as much shape as possible to perform.
‘But I have to admit it’s been a struggle,’ she shared.
At times in her address, Dion would pause, as if to compose herself and try not to cry. Screengrab Credit: Instagram/@celinedion
‘All I know is singing. It’s what I’ve done all my life, and it’s what I love to do the most.’
‘I always give a hundred per cent when I do my shows, but my condition is not allowing me to do that right now.
‘For me to reach you again, I have no choice but to concentrate on my health at this moment.’
In the meantime, Dion said, her focus will be on recuperating and doing everything in her power to get better.
She also gave some time to show gratitude for the tide of well-wishes she received.
‘I want to thank you so much for your encouraging wishes of love and support on my social media. This means a lot to me.’
Ending her message barely keeping her tears in check, she wished for viewers to be healthy.
‘I love you guys so much, and I really hope I can see you guys soon.’
Fans can find the cancelled dates here.
So what is Stiff Person Syndrome?
According to the US-based National Organisation for Rare Disorders (NORD), the disease, also known as SPS or Moersch-Woltman Syndrome is characterised by worsening stiffness in the muscles and episodes of painful muscle spasms.
NORD notes the severity of SPS varies between individuals. If untreated, the disease may lead to difficulty walking and impact normal range of movement.
Unfortunately, there is no known cure for SPS, but symptoms may be treated with a targeted focus on muscles via relaxants and sedatives.
We wish Dion the best moving forward.
What is your reaction to this announcement from Dion?
Source: Instagram/@celinedion
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