Powerhouse vocalist Celine Dion revealed she’s been diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder that affects one in 1 million people.
In a video posted to Instagram Dion said she has Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS). SPS is a disorder that causes muscle stiffness and muscle spasms and can sometimes leave people unable to walk. Other symptoms include sensitivity to loud noises or touch, which can randomly trigger these spasms.
“Recently I’ve been diagnosed with a very rare neurological disorder called the stiff person syndrome, which affects 1 in a million people,” she said.
“While we’re still learning about this rare condition, we now know this is what’s been causing all of the spasms that 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.”
Dion told her fans that she would be postponing future concert dates to focus on recovering. Eight European dates for her Courage world tour were rescheduled to 2024 and a small selection of shows were cancelled completely.
Most artists would have just cancelled everything completely, Dion is just built differently and that’s why we all love her. She absolutely did not have to focus on completing this tour at all.
Dion posted two versions of the Instagram video revealing her diagnosis — one in French and one in English.
Dion said she will be working with a health professional to try and build up her strength and get back to doing what she loves — performing for her fans. There’s no cure for SPS once someone is diagnosed with it, but there are ways individuals can relieve their symptoms with medication.
“I always give 100 per cent when I do my shows, my condition is not allowing me to give you that right now,” she said.
“For me to reach you again I have no choice but to concentrate on my health at this moment and I have hope that I’m on the road to recovery.
“This is my focus and I’m doing everything I can to recuperate.”
