Celine Dion has admitted she is ‘determined’ to get back on stage and perform again amid her battle with Stiff Person Syndrome.
The hitmaker, 55, opened up candidly about her battle with the disorder, revealing it is ‘one of the hardest experiences’ of her life.
As the mother of three shared a sweet tribute to her three sons on Instagram, Celine took the opportunity to praise her friends, family and fan base for the love she receives.
Celine, who is committed to getting back to normal, posed with her beloved twins Eddy and Nelson, 13, as well as her eldest son Rene-Charles Angelil, 23, to mark Stiff Person Syndrome Awareness Day on Friday.
The singer shares her three boys with late husband and music producer Rene Angelil – who died in 2016 after a battle with throat cancer.
Celine Dion, 55, has admitted she is ‘determined’ to get back on stage and perform again amid her battle with stiff person syndrome (pictured in 2019)
The hitmaker opened up candidly about her battle with the disorder, revealing it’s ‘one of the hardest experiences’ of her life
In the caption, Celine wrote to her 6.4 million followers: “Today the world recognizes International SPS Awareness Day.”
‘As many of you know, in the fall of 2022 I was diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS),’ she continued.
“Trying to overcome this autoimmune disorder has been one of the hardest experiences of my life, but I am determined to one day get back on stage and live as normal a life as possible.”
The star then expressed: ‘I am deeply grateful for the love and support from my children, family, team and all of you!’
‘I would like to send my encouragement and support to all those around the world who have been affected by SPS. I want you to know that you can do it! We can do it! Love Celine xx…’ Dion concluded.
Social media users jumped to the comments section to share their support for the star, with one fan writing “I love you Celine”, followed by a white heart emoji.
Perez Hilton wrote: ‘You are so loved!!’ while another added, ‘You can do it ❤️ your old soul and your voice is here to heal around the world.’
In December 2022, Celine revealed that she had been diagnosed with the rare neurological disease in an emotional video.
As the mother-of-three shared a sweet tribute to her twins Eddy and Nelson, 13, as well as her eldest son Rene-Charles Angelil, 23, on Instagram, Celine took the opportunity to praise her friends, family and fan base for the love she receives
Celine, who is committed to getting back to normal, posed with her beloved boys to mark Stiff Person Syndrome Awareness Day on Friday
In the caption, Celine wrote to her 6.4 million followers: ‘Today the world recognizes International SPS Awareness Day’; seen in February in LA
The singer shares her three boys with late husband and music producer Rene Angelil – who died in 2016 after a battle with throat cancer (seen in 2012 in Germany)
Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS) is a degenerative condition that causes muscles to tense and spasm uncontrollably. Ultimately, it leaves patients looking like ‘human statues’ as it gradually locks up the body, leaving people unable to walk or speak.
There is no cure for SPS, but there are steps that can be taken to curb the symptoms – something Celine revealed she is exploring.
After battling her illness behind the scenes, Celine made her first public appearance in nearly three years last November when she attended an ice hockey game with her three sons.
In footage posted online, Celine appeared to be in good spirits as she greeted players and fans in the dressing rooms after the match.
Last month in February, the singer made a surprise appearance at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards to present Album of the Year to Taylor Swift.
At the time, a source said Page six that Dion wanted to show stiff-person syndrome ‘is not a death sentence.’
She also ‘brushed off’ Swift and ‘ignored’ her when she accepted the Grammy award – with the pair even posing together backstage during the ceremony.
‘I don’t think Celine cared and they talked backstage afterwards. But Celine was just gracious and happy to be there. Of course, the right thing would have been for Taylor to acknowledge her, just like Adele did years ago.’
Last month in February, the singer made a surprise appearance at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards to present Album of the Year to Taylor Swift; seen with Swift and son Rene-Charles at the Grammy Awards in LA
At the time, a source told Page Six that Dion wanted to show that stiff person syndrome is not a death sentence
‘She wanted to show everyone that she’s fine. She has good days and bad days … it’s a painful disease, but it’s not a death sentence, the source told the paper.
‘She’s clearly capable of doing things and she wanted to show everyone that she’s back. She looked amazing. The hope is that she will be able to perform.’
Earlier this month, Celine was spotted on a rare outing in NYC and remained positive as she gave the thumbs up to those around her.
She made another rare public outing at an Edmonton Oilers hockey game in Las Vegas amid her battle with the disease.
In a video uploaded to the team’s main Instagram page, she was seen having fun with the players in a locker room – and at one point, Dion humorously impersonated being a player.
One of the teammates, left winger Zach Hyman, stood next to the singer and also shared a laugh during the lighthearted and memorable interaction.
Earlier this week on Monday, Celine was spotted in Boston with her twin sons and others at a restaurant called Scampo located inside the Liberty Hotel.
A manager of the restaurant said so recently People, ‘Everybody said she looked like a million bucks. Everyone said she looked beautiful.’
‘She wanted to show everyone that she’s fine. She has good days and bad days … it’s a painful disease, but it’s not a death sentence,” the source told the paper.
Back in December 2022, when she opened up about her diagnosis, Celine said: ‘Unfortunately these spasms affect every aspect of my daily life and they sometimes cause difficulty when I walk and don’t allow me to use my vocal cords to sing, as I am. used to’; seen in 2019
Back in December 2022, when she opened up about her diagnosis, Celine said: ‘Unfortunately these spasms affect every aspect of my daily life and they sometimes cause difficulty when I walk and don’t allow me to use my vocal cords to sing, as I am. used to.’
But the mum-of-three explained that she has ‘an amazing team of doctors working with me to help me get better and my precious children who support me and give me help’.
“I am working hard with my sports medicine therapist every day to rebuild my strength and my ability to perform again, but I have to admit it has been a struggle.”
‘All I know is to sing. It’s what I’ve done all my life and it’s what I love to do the most,” she emotionally added. ‘I miss you so much. I miss seeing you all on stage and performing for you… ‘
Dion said she is ‘doing everything I can to recover. I want to thank you so much for your wishes and love and support on my social media. This means a lot to me.’
Late last year in December, a source told Us Weekly that Celine ‘doesn’t have as much control over her muscles as she used to, but she’s working with doctors and physical therapists to get better.’
At the end of last year in December, a source told Us Weekly that Celine ‘doesn’t have as much control over her muscles as she used to, but she’s working with doctors and physical therapists to get better’; seen in 2019
“Celine has taken time to focus on her health but plans to take the stage again once she gets the green light from her medical team.”
At the time, her sister Claudette also told French outlet, 7 Jours, ‘She works hard but she doesn’t have control over her muscles. What breaks my heart is that she has always been disciplined.’
‘She has always worked hard. Our mother always told her, “You’re going to do well, you’re going to do properly.”
‘It is true that in both our dreams and hers the goal is to return to the stage. In what capacity? I do not know.’