The French-Canadian singer Celine Dion made a shocking revelation this week on her social media account that she has been recently diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder with features of an autoimmune disease.
Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS) is an extremely rare condition that affects one to two people per million and causes progressive muscle stiffness.
This condition makes her muscles spasm uncontrollably and has led to difficulties in walking and singing. Consequently, she will be unable to play planned shows in the UK and mainland Europe next year.
The 54-year-old singer said emotionally on her Instagram page,
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 we’re still learning about this rare condition, we now know this is what’s been causing all of the spasms I’ve been having.
She added, “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.
‼️ Celine Dion reschedules Spring 2023 shows to 2024, and cancels 8 of her summer 2023 shows. ‼️
"It hurts me to tell you that I won't be ready to restart my tour in Europe in February.” – Céline
Watch Celine’s message here 👉🏼https://t.co/7el0cJVM4I pic.twitter.com/C9I8NEL5bs
— Celine Dion (@celinedion) December 8, 2022
Teary-eyed, she continued “It hurts me to tell you today that this means I won’t be ready to restart my tour in Europe in February”.
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The I’m Alive singer reassured her fans that she has “a great team of doctors working alongside me to help me get better” while her “precious children” were supporting and helping her.
Celine Dion ended her message by thanking fans for their support, stressing that she had no choice but to focus on her health and hoped she was on the “road to recovery”.
Stiff Person Syndrome
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke in the United States, patients diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome can experience muscle rigidity as well as heightened sensitivity to noise and touch, which can cause muscle spasms.
People with SPS can be too disabled to walk or move, or they are afraid to leave the house because street noises, such as the sound of a horn, can trigger spasms and falls.
Abnormal postures, often hunched over and stiffened, are characteristic of this disorder.
