Current:Home > StocksCeline Dion's sister gives update on stiff-person syndrome, saying singer "has no control of her muscles"-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Celine Dion's sister gives update on stiff-person syndrome, saying singer "has no control of her muscles"
View Date:2024-12-23 15:24:03
Celine Dion stepped away from performing last year as she battled "stiff-person" syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that has affected her ability to walk and sing. Her sister, Claudette Dion, now says Dion doesn't have control of her muscles.
"There are some who have lost hope because that it is a disease that is not known," Claudette, 75, told French publication 7 Jours.
Claudette is also a singer and CEO and spokesperson for the Fondation Maman Dion, an organization founded by their mother that helps disadvantaged kids.
"If you only knew how many calls we receive at the Foundation to hear from Céline," Claudette said in the French-language interview. "People tell us they love her and pray for her. She gets so many messages, gifts, blessed crucifixes. She works hard, but she has no control over her muscles. What makes me sad, is that she was also so disciplined."
Stiff-person syndrome, also called Moersch-Woltman syndrome, is a "rare neurological disorder with features of an autoimmune disease that causes the body to become rigid and more sensitive to noise, touch and emotional distress," according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. It can also leave patients with "hunched over and stiffened" postures.
Dion opened up about her diagnosis in December 2022, saying she had to reschedule tour dates that had already been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In May 2023, she announced she was canceling the remaining dates of her world tour due to her health issues.
Claudette said their dream is for Dion to return to the stage, but it is uncertain. "Vocal cords are muscles, but so is the heart. That's what gets to me. Because it's one in a million case, scientists don't have that much research on the topic, because it didn't affect that many people."
Dion has had to postpone concert dates before. In 2014, she announced she was battling an illness that caused inflammation in her throat muscles and also had to care for her husband Rene, who had cancer. (He died in 2016.) Dion said in a statement at the time it had been "a very difficult and stressful" time for the family and she needed to postpone shows from her Caesars Palace residency and cancel Asia tour dates.
Stiff-person syndrome affects 1 in a million people, although some studies suggest that is an underestimate, according to the National Institutes of Health. The disease affects twice as many women as men and is often associated with other autoimmune diseases like Type 1 diabetes and vitiligo. Research suggests it could be caused by an autoimmune response in the brain and spinal cord gone awry, but the cause is not yet understood.
Drugs that help alleviate muscle spasms as well as antianxiety drugs can help manage the disease and studies have shown that intravenous immunoglobulin treatment – IVs with natural antibodies donated by healthy people – can help reduce the stiffness.
In November, Dion, who is Canadian and had a long-running residency, made one of her few public appearances since her diagnosis, greeting members of the Montreal Canadiens NHL in Las Vegas.
- In:
- Celine Dion
Caitlin O'Kane is a digital content producer covering trending stories for CBS News and its good news brand, The Uplift.
veryGood! (3722)
Related
- Mike Tyson has lived a wild life. These 10 big moments have defined his career
- Does the NFL have a special teams bias when hiring head coaches? History indicates it does
- Human head washes ashore on Florida beach, police investigating: reports
- Whoopi Goldberg Shares Very Relatable Reason She's Remained on The View
- Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan says next year will be his last in office; mum on his plans afterward
- Georgia State University is planning a $107M remake of downtown Atlanta
- Where is 'College GameDay' for Week 12? Location, what to know for ESPN show
- Surfer Bethany Hamilton Makes Masked Singer Debut After 3-Year-Old Nephew’s Tragic Death
- Deommodore Lenoir contract details: 49ers ink DB to $92 million extension
- Record-setting dry conditions threaten more US wildfires, drinking water supplies
Ranking
- The Best Gifts for Men – That He Won’t Want to Return
- It's about to be Red Cup Day at Starbucks. When is it and how to get the free coffee swag?
- Kathy Bates likes 'not having breasts' after her cancer battle: 'They were like 10 pounds'
- Volunteer firefighter accused of setting brush fire on Long Island
- Indiana man is found guilty of murder in the 2017 killings of 2 teenage girls
- Stop smartphone distractions by creating a focus mode: Video tutorial
- Amazon Prime Video to stream Diamond Sports' regional networks
- Drone footage captures scope of damage, destruction from deadly Louisville explosion
Recommendation
-
Video shows masked man’s apparent attempt to kidnap child in NYC; suspect arrested
-
Black and Latino families displaced from Palm Springs neighborhood reach $27M tentative settlement
-
Horoscopes Today, November 13, 2024
-
GM recalls 460k cars for rear wheel lock-up: Affected models include Chevrolet, GMC, Cadillac
-
Multi-State Offshore Wind Pact Weakened After Connecticut Sits Out First Selection
-
Inspector general finds no fault in Park Police shooting of Virginia man in 2017
-
Prominent conservative lawyer Ted Olson, who argued Bush recount and same-sex marriage cases, dies
-
‘Emilia Pérez’ wouldn’t work without Karla Sofía Gascón. Now, she could make trans history