Celine Dion’s sister shares update on singer’s health: ‘She is strong’

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As she battles Stiff Person Syndrome, Celine Dion is staying hopeful and optimistic she’ll be able to make an onstage comeback, her sister says.

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“I know that morally, mentally, she is strong. She is not depressed at all … she really has the joy of living. We will get through this,” her sister Claudette tells French-language site showbizz.net.

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Claudette says that Celine is recuperating in Denver and is following her doctors’ care plan closely because she “wants to come back, that’s for sure.”

Her sibling says that the pop star is being heartened by the “beautiful messages of love” she has received since she revealed her devastating diagnosis last year.

“I’m keeping my fingers crossed,” Claudette adds.

But Celine’s sister also hit out at some of the lies that have surfaced regarding the French-Canadian artist’s condition.

“Why are they going there? Why do they say she is in a wheelchair? Why do they say she had cancer? Why are you inventing?” she asked.

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Earlier this summer, Claudette said Celine was working closely with doctors who specialize in Stiff Person Syndrome.

“When I call and she is busy, I speak to my sister Linda, who lives with her and who tells me that she works hard,” Claudette told the Journal de Montréal.

In May, the My Heart Will Go On singer announced she was cancelling her world tour. “I’m so sorry to disappoint all of you once again,” the 55-year-old singer wrote in an Instagram message. “I’m working really hard to build back my strength, but touring can be very difficult even when you’re 100%. It’s not fair to you to keep postponing the shows, and even though it breaks my heart, it’s best that we cancel everything now until I’m really ready to be back on stage again.”

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The five-time Grammy winner added that she is hopeful she will be able to hit the road again soon and that her team of medical specialists is monitoring her closely to evaluate and treat the condition.

Dion’s announcement came after she revealed in December 2022 that she was dealing with Stiff Person Syndrome, a rare condition that causes severe and persistent muscle spasms.

Symptoms of the affliction mimic the characteristics of other ailments such as Parkinson’s Disease or Multiple Sclerosis. The muscle spasms associated with SPS sometimes appear out of the blue and can be triggered by loud noise or emotional distress, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

The muscle spasms can be severe enough to affect mobility and cause a patient to fall. As it progresses, the disease makes if more difficult to walk and falls can become more frequent.

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“There are spasms — they’re impossible to control,” Claudette told Hello! last month. “You know people who often jump up in the night because of a cramp in the leg or the calf? It’s a bit like that, but in all muscles. There’s little we can do to support her, to alleviate her pain.”

The incurable disease affects approximately one in a million people. Due to its unpredictable triggers, some sufferers develop anxiety or agoraphobia.

The muscle spasms can become “so violent they can dislocate joints and even break bones,” according to the Stiff Person Syndrome Foundation.

Texas neurologist Alexandra Muranova says the condition “has an insidious onset with gradual worsening over time and, if left untreated, can lead to permanent disability and mortality.”

“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,” the mother-of-three said when she revealed her diagnosis in a tearful Instagram video last December.

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In her message to fans this past May, the It’s All Coming Back to Me Now singer said she was optimistic she will be able to return to the stage in the near future.

“I want you all to know, I’m not giving up,” Dion concluded her post, “and I can’t wait to see you again!”

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X: @markhdaniell

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