Salva Mubarak Senior Features Writer

Celine Dion recently shared an emotionally charged video on her Instagram recently where she revealed that she has been diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder. The legendary singer shared that she would be prioritising her health after her diagnosis and would have to postpone her upcoming tours across UK and Europe.

Dion revealed that she has been diagnosed with ‘Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS)’, a rare disorder that caused her muscles to spasm uncontrollably and impair mobility and other functions like singing.

“I’ve been dealing with problems with my health for a long time,“ said Dion, in the video, “ And it’s been really difficult for me to face these challenges and to talk about everything that I’ve been going through.”

The singer said that the disorder has started affecting every aspect of her life, even causing her difficulties in using her vocal cords to sing the way she is used to.

She assured her fans that she has a great team of doctors working alongside her to help her get better. “I’m 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’s been a struggle. All I know is singing. It’s what I’ve done all my life and it’s what I love to do the most. I miss you so much. I miss seeing all of you (and) being on the stage, performing for you. I always give 100 per cent when I do my show but my condition is not allowing me to give you that right now.”

The ‘My Heart Will Go On’ singer said that the disorder affects one in a million people and is not very well understood.

What is ‘Stiff Person Syndrome’?

Dion is right in saying that the disease is super rare. The disorder affects twice as many women as men and scientists haven’t been able to narrow down the exact cause of the disorder.

SPS is known to cause progressive stiffness and muscle spasms. It is characterised by fluctuating muscular rigidity and heightened sensitivity to stimuli like noise, touch, and emotional distress which can set off muscle spasms. People suffering from SPS can be too disabled to walk or move.

They even face difficulties in getting out of their house because the noises of the street and the traffic can trigger spasms and cause them to fall and hurt themselves badly as they lack normal reflexes. As of now, there is no cure for the disease but some treatments can slow its progression.

In the video, Dion tearfully signed off by thanking her fans for their support and expressed hope that she was on the road to recovery.