Fighting for your life against all odds is a daunting task, and singer Celine Dion has been a strong warrior. The 56-year-old singer has been battling stiff-person syndrome since December 2022. This journey has taken a toll on her both mentally and physically so much so that she did not want to hear her own name.
Dion is currently under treatment and recently opened up about her health in an interview with Today. She talked about her battle against stiff-person syndrome and how it affected her as a person. She shared her inspirational story in the interview as well.
Cèline Dion Talks About Her Struggle Against Stiff-Person Syndrome
The ‘My Heart Will Go On’ singer suffers from a neurological disorder called stiff-person syndrome that affects her muscles and motility. The disease is characterized by muscle spasms and muscular deformities severely affecting motility.
The singer is currently undergoing treatment and revealed about her health status in an interview with Hota Kotb. “It’s like somebody is strangling you. It’s like somebody is pushing your larynx/pharynx,” she said in the interview. She further explained how uncomfortable it is to live with the disease. “If I cook — because I love to cook — my fingers, my hands, will get in position. … It’s cramping, but it’s like in a position where you cannot unlock them,” she said.
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Cèline Dion Felt Intimidated After Hearing Her Own Name
The ‘I’m Alive’ singer revealed that she ignored the early signs of the disease since she was taking care of her late husband René Angélil when he was fighting cancer. However, the disease progressed to such a severe form that Dion struggled with muscle spasms in her throat and abdomen. The award-winning singer even broke one of her ribs.
“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,” she told Kotb. “It’s intimidating for me to say my name because I hear it a lot … And when you’re not well, I did not want to hear my name,” she continued. “I did not know who I was anymore because I’m not the person that I used to be.”
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