Celine Dion no longer has any control over her muscles, her sister explained, as the My Heart Will Go On songstress continues to battle stiff person syndrome.
Celine, 55, was forced to cancel her world tour after being diagnosed with the neurological condition, which is progressive and incurable. Stiff person syndrome causes the body to attack its own nerve cells, impacting mobility and causing painful spasms.
Now her sister Claudette, 77, has offered an update on Celine’s condition. She told 7 Jours: “She’s working hard, but she doesn’t have control over her muscles. What breaks my heart is that she’s always been disciplined. She’s always worked hard. Our mother always told her, ‘You’re going to do it well, you’re going to do it properly.”
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Claudette added: “It’s true that in both our dreams and hers, the goal is to return to the stage. In what capacity? I don’t know. The vocal cords are muscles, and the heart is also a muscle. This is what comes to get me. Because it’s a one out of a million case, the scientists haven’t done that much research because it didn’t affect that many people.”
(Image: GC Images)
Donations to the family charity – Fondation Maman Dion – have been flooding in, but some people have “lost hope”, she explained. Adding: “It’s all illness that isn’t well known. If only you knew the number of phone calls the Foundation gets about Celine! People tell us they love her and they’re praying for her. She gets so many messages, presents and blessed crucifixes.”
In October, Claudette confirmed Celine was not yet reliant on a wheelchair, but has seen little improvement overall despite working with “top researchers” in the field. She originally told Le Journal de Montreal: “We can’t find any medicine that works, but having hope is important.
(Image: Corbis via Getty Images)
“I honestly think that she mostly needs to rest. She always goes above and beyond, she always tries to be the best and top of her game. At one point, your heart and your body are trying to tell you something. It’s important to listen to it.”
Celine’s other sister Linda moved in with the singer in Las Vegas to help care for her, while Celine works with a sports medicine therapist to build up her strength. She cancelled her Courage World Tour but hopes to return to performing eventually.
After initially revealing her diagnosis in December 2022, Celine confirmed in a candid video: “Unfortunately the 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.”
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
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She added: “I’m so sorry to disappoint all of you once again… and even though it breaks my heart, it’s best that we cancel everything until I’m really ready to be back on stage… I’m not giving up… and I can’t wait to see you again!”
Over time, the condition can lead people to develop hunched-over postures, and cause frequent falls as the sufferer doesn’t have the reflexes needed to catch themselves, leading to serious injuries.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
