Celine Dion, who lives with Stiff Person Syndrome, is speaking up for the cause.
The My Heart Will Go On singer was famously diagnosed with this autoimmune disorder in late 2022 and, after more than a year of navigating its muscle spasms and stiffness, spoke out about her experiences on Friday, International Stiff Person Awareness Day.
“As many of you know, in the fall of 2022, I was diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS),” Dion captioned a photo of herself and her three children on Friday.
“Trying to overcome this autoimmune disorder has been one of the hardest experiences of my life,” the five-time Grammy winner continued, “but I remain determined to one day get back onto the stage and to live as normal of a life as possible.”
The French-Canadian singer announced in December 2022 that she had been dealing with health issues for “a long time” — and cancelled her world tour after confirming her newfound condition.
According to the Johns Hopkins University of Medicine, stiff person syndrome is an autoimmune disease and commonly causes muscle stiffness and spasms and sometimes results in slurred speech, an unsteady gait and double vision. There is currently no cure.
The disease is so rare that it reportedly occurs in only one to two people in a million, but nonetheless affected a singer so beloved that fans protested outside Rolling Stone’s office in 2023 after the magazine omitted Dion from its “Greatest Singers” list.
The mother of three has forged ahead, still making the occasional public appearance. She agreed to make an in-depth documentary about her struggle — and, more recently, handed Taylor Swift a Grammy on national TV.
“I am deeply grateful for the love and support from my kids, family, team and all of you!” Dion wrote Friday. “I want to send my encouragement and support to all those around the world that have been affected by SPS. I want you to know you can do it! We can do it!”