Céline Dion about her illness: "As if someone were choking you"

Learn all about Céline Dion's moving battle with stiff person syndrome. The 56-year-old singer, known for her powerful voice and iconic hits such as “My Heart Will Go On”, spoke openly about her diagnosis of this rare autoimmune disease in an exclusive interview with NBC Nightly News. Back in 2022, she had to cancel her “Courage” world tour and made her condition public. Since then, she has withdrawn from the limelight to focus on her health. The media service “ET online” has now published the first insights into the interview.

Céline impressively describes how stiff person syndrome attacks her vocal cords, which she describes as her “instrument”: “It's like someone is choking you!” This disease leads to muscle stiffness and cramps, which put a lot of strain on her. As recently as December, her sister Claudette reported that Céline is working hard on her recovery but has no control over her muscles. Despite the efforts of the best researchers in the field, no effective medication has yet been found.

In addition to her career as a singer, Céline is also a passionate cook. However, the syndrome causes her fingers and hands to suddenly cramp, so that she can no longer cook. These cramps can also affect other parts of the body such as the abdomen, spine or ribs. She said that she once had broken ribs because the cramps were so severe that they led to broken bones.

Despite all the health challenges, Céline remains determined. She announced on Instagram in March 2024 that one day she would like to be back on stage and lead as normal a life as possible. This determination and her current health problems are the subject of the documentary “I Am: Céline Dion", which will be available on Amazon Prime Video from June 25. In the trailer for the documentary, she states emphatically: “It's not hard to do a show. It's hard to cancel one. If I can't walk, I'll crawl. But I'm not going to stop!"

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