April 23, 2024
Céline Dion has just opened up about living with stiff-person syndrome diagnosis.
The 56-year-old powerhouse vocalist in her latest interview with Vogue France spoke about her diagnosis and was asked when she will hit the stage again.
"I can't answer that… Because for four years I've been saying to myself that I'm not going back, that I'm ready, that I'm not ready," Dion responded to the publication.
"As things stand, I can't stand here and say to you: 'Yes, in four months.' I don't know... My body will tell me. On the other hand, I don't just want to wait."
The "I'm Alive" singer went on to say, "It's morally hard to live from day to day. It's hard, I'm working very hard and tomorrow will be even harder. Tomorrow is another day. But there's one thing that will never stop, and that's the will. It's the passion. It's the dream. It's the determination."
Moreover, Dion also shared her routine with the illness, which currently has no cure, and according to her, she has “to learn to live with it”.
She also detailed, “Five days a week I undergo athletic, physical and vocal therapy. I work on my toes, my knees, my calves, my fingers, my singing, my voice."
"I have to learn to live with it now and stop questioning myself. At the beginning I would ask myself: why me? How did this happen? What have I done? Is this my fault?" she added.
For those unversed, in 2022, Dion revealed that she was diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome, a rare and incurable neurological disease.
"Stiff person syndrome (SPS) is a neurological disease with autoimmune features. Symptoms include muscle spasms, hyper-rigidity, debilitating pain, and chronic anxiety," according to the Stiff Person Syndrome Research Center.
It's pertinent to mention that the singer's last tour was in 2020, and due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic at the time, many shows were postponed. Later the rescheduled shows were canceled following Dion's diagnosis.