Celine Dion ‘No Longer Has Control Over Muscles’ In Incurable Stiff-Person Syndrome Battle
Celine Dion ‘no longer has control over her muscles’ as she battles the incurable stiff-person syndrome.
‘The Power Of Love’ artist, 55, is recognised as the ‘Queen of Power Ballads’ due to her powerful vocals.
Across a career that has spanned 43 years, Dion has sold over 220 million albums worldwide and has won countless awards – including six Grammy Awards and two Academy Awards for Best Original Song.
Sadly, the ‘All by Myself’ singer was diagnosed with the incurable health condition and had to cancel her world tour.
Now, a year after the star announced her diagnosis, there has been a new update on her battle with the syndrome.
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Dion was diagnosed with stiff person syndrome (SPS) – a rare chronic condition that causes muscle stiffness and painful muscle spasms – with the severity of symptoms varies from person to person, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Unfortunately, there is no cure for SPS, but treatment can help manage symptoms and slow the progression of the condition.
The syndrome has severely impacted Dion’s mobility as well as her ability to sing.
The ‘My Heart Will Go On’ singer has reportedly suffered from uncontrollable muscle spasms for some time, as per The Guardian and cancelled tour dates after experiencing ‘severe and persistent’ spasms in January 2022.
Then, in December 2022, Dion revealed to fans in an emotional Instagram post that the condition had affected ‘every aspect’ of her life and was not able to use her vocal cords the way she wanted to.
Her sister Claudette has now given an update on ‘To Love You More’ singer’s condition – revealing that Dion has no control over her muscles.
She told 7 Jours (via the Daily Mail): “She’s working hard, but she doesn’t have control over her muscles. What breaks my heart is that she’s always been disciplined.
“She’s always worked hard. Our mother always told her, ‘You’re going to do it well, you’re going to do it properly’.”
Despite the setback, Claudette shared that both her and Dion’s dream is to return to the stage at some point in the future.
“It’s true that in both our dreams and hers, the goal is to return to the stage. In what capacity? I don’t know,” she adds.
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Due to the rarity of the condition, research in hopes of finding a cure has been slow – despite the family working with ‘the top researchers in the field’.
Claudette continues: “The vocal cords are muscles, and the heart is also a muscle. This is what comes to get me. Because it’s one out of a million case, the scientists haven’t done that much research because it didn’t affect that many people.
“Some people have lost hope because it’s all illness that isn’t well known. If only you knew the number of phone calls the Foundation gets about Celine!
“People tell us they love her and they’re praying for her. She gets so many messages, presents and blessed crucifixes.”
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There were rumours floating that the ‘I’m Alive’ singer was wheelchair-bound due to her condition, however, this has been denied by her sister.
She told the French-language site showbizz.net: “I know that morally, mentally, she is strong. She is not depressed at all… she really has the joy of living. We will get through this.”
