Canadian music icon Celine Dion shared words of encouragement as well as showed appreciation for support from her fans, on International Stiff Person Syndrome Awareness Day.
The five-time Grammy winner, who has been battling the rare neurological disorder in recent years, shared Friday a photo of her smiling with her three sons on Instagram, and captioned, “Today the world recognizes International SPS Awareness Day.”
“As many of you know, in the fall of 2022, I was diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS),” she continued. “Trying to overcome this autoimmune disorder has been one of the hardest experiences of my life, but I remain determined to one day get back onto the stage and to live as normal of a life as possible. I am deeply grateful for the love and support from my kids, family, team and all of you!”.
Dion concluded, “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! Love Celine.”
View this post on Instagram
The Grammy-winning singer’s appearance comes after she revealed in December 2022 her diagnosis of Stiff-Person Syndrome, a rare condition marked by uncontrolled and severe muscle spasms that affects one in a million individuals.
“As you know, I’ve always been an open book. And I wasn’t ready to say anything before,” she said in a Dec. 8 video. “But I’m ready now… ’I’ve been dealing with problems with my health for a long time, and it’s been really difficult for me to face these challenges and to talk about everything that I’ve been going through.”
After explaining her symptoms and how her team concluded her diagnosis, Dion added, “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. I have to admit it’s been a struggle. All I know is singing, it’s what I’ve done all my life.”
As a result, Dion’s 2023 tour dates were either canceled or pushed back to 2024.
In December 2023, Dion’s sister shared an update on the “My Heart Will Go On” singer’s health. Claudette Dion told 7 Jours at the time that the 55-year-old “is working hard [to battle through her disorder], but she doesn’t have control of her muscles.”
She then made a surprise appearance at the 2024 Grammy Awards last month to present the award for album of the year, which went to Taylor Swift for Midnights.
“When I say that I’m happy to be here, I really mean it from my heart,” she told the audience. “Those who have been blessed enough to be here at the Grammy Awards must never take for granted the tremendous love and joy that music brings to our lives and to people all around the world.”
Earlier this year, Dion also announced that Amazon MGM landed the rights to a documentary, "I Am: Celine Dion", which details her health battles as she continues to navigate her music career. It is set to be released later this year.
Follow the latest news on Google News
