Céline Dion is holding her optimism close as she continues to battle stiff-person syndrome.
The iconic Canadian vocalist appeared on the cover of Vogue France and opened up about dealing with the disease that has stopped her from performing for several years. She also shared what truly keeps her going amid her struggle with the disease.
“I haven’t beat the disease, as it’s still within me and always will be. I hope that we’ll find a miracle, a way to cure it with scientific research, but for now I have to learn to live with it,” Dion told the magazine. “So that’s me, now with stiff-person syndrome. 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 continued. “Life doesn’t give you any answers. You just have to live it! I have this illness for some unknown reason.”
Dion explained that she’s chosen to “train like an athlete and work super hard” instead of staying at home and “sing[ing] to myself.” Stiff-person syndrome is an autoimmune neurological disease that causes muscle stiffness and painful spasms.
“I’ve chosen to work with all my body and soul, from head to toe, with a medical team,” she said. “I want to be the best I can be.”
The singer continued by saying that the love from her family, children, and fans is ultimately what has helped her get through the rough moments.
“People who suffer from SPS may not be lucky enough or have the means to have good doctors and good treatments,” she said. “I have those means, and this is a gift. What’s more, I have this strength within me. I know that nothing is going to stop me.”
In an interview with Hello! last September, Dion’s sister Claudette said the singer’s family is “crossing our fingers” to find a remedy for Dion’s “awful disease.”
“There are spasms — they’re impossible to control,” Claudette told the outlet. “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.”
Dion was scheduled to go on tour in Spring 2023, but canceled it last December after opening up about her condition in an Instagram video: “It’s been really difficult for me to face these challenges and talk to about the things that I’ve been going through … While we’re still learning about this rare condition, we now know this has what’s been causing all the spasms that I’ve been having.”