{"id":1263457,"date":"2022-12-09T13:58:16","date_gmt":"2022-12-09T13:58:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/12\/09\/celine-dion-reveals-incurable-health-condition\/"},"modified":"2022-12-09T13:58:16","modified_gmt":"2022-12-09T13:58:16","slug":"celine-dion-reveals-incurable-health-condition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/12\/09\/celine-dion-reveals-incurable-health-condition\/","title":{"rendered":"Celine Dion reveals incurable health condition"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Celine Dion has revealed she has been diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS), a rare neurological disorder with features of an autoimmune disease.<\/p>\n

The French Canadian singer told her 5.2m Instagram followers the condition makes her muscles spasm uncontrollably.<\/p>\n

It has led to difficulties walking and singing, she said, meaning she will be unable to play planned shows in the UK and mainland Europe next year.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been dealing with problems with my health for a long time,\u201d said Dion.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd it\u2019s been really difficult for me to face these challenges and to talk about everything that I\u2019ve been going through,\u201d the 54-year-old continued, in an emotionally-charged video.<\/p>\n

\u201cRecently I\u2019ve been diagnosed with a very rare neurological disorder called Stiff Person Syndrome which affects something like one-in-a-million people.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile we\u2019re still learning about this rare condition, we now know this is what\u2019s been causing all of the spasms I\u2019ve been having.\u201d<\/p>\n

She added: \u201cUnfortunately, these spasms affect every aspect of my daily life, sometimes causing difficulties when I walk and not allowing me to use my vocal chords to sing the way I\u2019m used to.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt hurts me to tell you today that this means I won\u2019t be ready to restart my tour in Europe in February.\u201d<\/p>\n

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In 2014, the diva \u2013 whose ballad My Heart Will Go On, from the Titanic soundtrack, won the Oscar for best song \u2013\u00a0said she was putting her career on hold\u00a0\u201cindefinitely\u201d as her husband Ren\u00e9 Ang\u00e9lil battled cancer.<\/p>\n

Although her performances resumed a year later, she stepped away from the stage again in early 2016, following the tragic deaths of both Ang\u00e9lil and her brother, Daniel Dion.<\/p>\n

She eventually returned with the 2019 studio album Courage, which featured collaborations with Sia, Sam Smith and David Guetta.<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s been a struggle\u2019<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The star supported the record with a world tour, large portions of which had to be postponed due to the Covid pandemic.<\/p>\n

She was forced to reschedule the dates again this year after developing \u201csevere and persistent muscle spasms\u201d which also delayed the return of her Las Vegas residency.<\/p>\n

Several of those shows \u2013 including nights in Birmingham, Glasgow, Manchester and London \u2013 have now been pushed back again, while others have been cancelled.<\/p>\n

On Thursday, Dion reassured her fans that she had \u201ca great team of doctors working alongside me to help me get better\u201d while her \u201cprecious children\u201d were \u201csupporting me and giving me help\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"Celine
The singer said she had not been ready to talk about her disorder until now<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

She explained: \u201cI\u2019m working hard with my sports medicine therapist every day to build back my strength and my ability to perform again, but I have to admit it\u2019s been a struggle.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll I know is singing. It\u2019s what I\u2019ve done all my life and it\u2019s what I love to do the most.<\/p>\n

\u201cI miss you so much. I miss seeing all of you [and] being on the stage, performing for you.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always give 100 per cent when I do my show, but my condition is not allowing me to give you that right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

No longer holding back the tears, the singer signed off by thanking fans for their support, stressing that she had no choice but to focus on her health and hoped she was on the \u201croad to recovery\u201d.<\/p>\n

What is Stiff Person Syndrome and is there a cure?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

SPS is a very rare condition and not well understood.<\/p>\n

According to the\u00a0National Institute for Neurological Disorders, it is characterised by \u201cfluctuating muscle rigidity in the trunk and limbs and a heightened sensitivity to stimuli such as noise, touch, and emotional distress, which can set off muscle spasms.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAbnormal postures, often hunched over and stiffened, are characteristic of the disorder,\u201d they also note.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople with SPS can be too disabled to walk or move, or they are afraid to leave the house because street noises, such as the sound of a horn, can trigger spasms and falls.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost individuals with SPS have frequent falls and because they lack the normal defensive reflexes; injuries can be severe.\u201d<\/p>\n

While there is no cure for SPS, there are treatments \u2013 including anti-anxiety medicines and muscle relaxants \u2013 that can slow down its progression.<\/p>\n

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DISCLAIMER: <\/strong>The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n