There’s a new devastating update on Celine Dion‘s debilitating battle with Stiff-Person Syndrome from her sister, and the news is bleak.
Celine Dion’s sister Claudette Dion says the Grammy winner “doesn’t have control of her muscles” in a new interview.
“There are some who have lost hope because it is a disease that is not [very well] known,” she told Canada’s 7 Jours. “What pains me is that she has 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.’”
How Is Celine Dion Doing?
Despite her diagnosis with Stiff-Person Syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that has prevented her from singing, Celine’s sister insists that she is a fighter and will return to the stage.
“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,” Claudette Dion said. “The vocal cords are muscles, and the heart is also a muscle. This is what comes to get me. Because [Dion’s condition is a] one out of a million case, the scientists haven’t done that much research because it didn’t affect that many people.”
Celine made her first public appearance in nearly four years recently when she attended an NHL game at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on October 30, 2023 night between the Vegas Golden Knights and her beloved hometown team, the Montreal Canadiens.
Seeing her out and about was a delight for her legions of fans, but it’s a far cry from those who saw her historic stage show in Vegas for many years.
Celine Dion’s Disease – What Is Stiff-Person Syndrome?
In December 2022, the performer announced her diagnosis of stiff-person syndrome, an autoimmune disorder of the nervous system. The Mayo Clinic explains that the neurological disorder manifests itself with “progressive, severe muscle stiffness and spasms of the lower extremities and back.”
“I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to reach out to you,” Celine said in an Instagram video at the time. “I miss you all so much and I 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. 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. Recently, I’ve been diagnosed with a very rare neurological disorder called stiff person syndrome, which affects something like one in a million people.”
While her sister Claudette was more somber speaking to reporters in December, earlier in the year, she reminded fans of just how tough her sister is. Speaking with a local news outlet in Canada about her sister’s health, as reported by Marca, in January of 2023, she said, “I am confident that life will give her back what she gave because she is an extremely intelligent woman, very generous and talented and in love with life as well.”
Celine Dion’s Sister Updates Fans On Her Condition: ‘Some Have Lost Hope’ was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.