Celine Dion Reveals Battle with Stiff Person Syndrome
Seizures and Joint Stiffness from Minor Stimuli Increase Fracture Risk
The painful battle of Celine Dion, a Canadian singer known as one of the world's top three divas and suffering from a rare disease, has been revealed. Dion is experiencing symptoms of "Stiff Person Syndrome," a condition in which the muscles cannot be controlled voluntarily.
Amazon's streaming platform Prime Video released the documentary I am : Celine Dion on the 23rd (local time). The documentary shows Dion having seizures due to her illness. A caregiver by her side tells her to clench her hand tightly and sprays oxygen directly to ease Dion's breathing difficulties.
Celine Dion's Battle with Illness Revealed in Amazon Prime Documentary [Image Source=YouTube Capture]
Irene Taylor, the director of the documentary, recently explained the situation in an interview with the New York Times. She said that the painful scenes of Dion in the documentary were "an unexpected event during filming." She added, "We asked Dion whether to include this footage in the documentary," and "Dion watched the scene and said it did not need to be deleted."
Dion has been fighting Stiff Person Syndrome for 17 years. She said, "My joints are so severely stiff that my ribs could break, and they actually did break once," but also expressed her determination to return to the stage: "If I can't run, I will walk; if I can't walk, I will crawl. I will not stop. My voice is the conductor of my life."
Stiff Person Syndrome causes muscle stiffness, making the body rigid, and muscle spasms triggered by stimuli throughout the body. Patients with this disease may have difficulty walking or moving, and are at risk of spasms caused by car horns or street noise.
Last May, Dion had to cancel her world tour schedule due to worsening symptoms. The tour organizers stated at the time, "Celine has been diagnosed with an illness that prevents her from performing and has been undergoing continuous treatment." Dion also apologized on X, saying, "I am sorry to disappoint you all," and added, "It pains my heart too, but preparing everything until I am ready to return to the stage is the best I can do."
However, she promised, "I will not give up," and "I want to meet my fans again soon," signaling her intention to return to the stage.
Meanwhile, Celine Dion is famous as the singer of the theme song for the movie Titanic. In the Western world, she is regarded as one of the "world's top three divas" and has gained fame with numerous hit songs such as "The Power of Love" and "All By Myself."
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