In the past few days, worry and prayers for Celine Dion have showered throughout social media. This is because of her shocking revelation that she is suffering from Stiff Person Syndrome.
Dion has canceled her "Courage" World Tour numerous times already, citing her health as the main reason why it was delayed. But before that, it has been highly reported that she has experienced spasms that would compromise her performance as an artist.
Because of her most recent revelation, the diagnosis finally clicked in that pretty much explained all the symptoms she had been experiencing.
"Recently, I've been diagnosed with a very rare neurological condition called Stiff Person Syndrome, which affects something like one in a million people," Dion shared in the now-viral video. "While we're still learning about this rare condition, we now know that this is what has been causing all of the spasms that I've been having."
Per the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Stiff Person Syndrome, Dion's illness happens to one in a million patients.
It causes a person's muscles in the limbs and torso to suffer spasms and rigidity and can occur randomly either because of a trigger from loud sound, touch, or even emotional distress. For example, when a person with SPS was honked loudly down the street, they can experience spasms which could lead to a fall, prompting orthopedic injuries or trauma depending on the case.
Unfortunately, there is no cure yet for Stiff Person Syndrome, but there is a treatment used by the medical community to relieve its symptoms. (via Yale Medicine) Intravenous Immunoglobulin is commonly used to treat people with Stiff Person Syndrome, although it is dependent upon the patient's body's response to it.
However, for Johns Hopkins Stiff-Person Syndrome Center Director Dr. Scott Newsome, there might still be light at the end of the tunnel.
For Newsome, there had been people who were diagnosed who have returned to normalcy, albeit not perfectly, but they had managed to return to their "pre-stiff-person baseline."
"I don't know, for Celine, whether she'll get back to performing like she did in years past. But I think with a combination treatment approach, that gives people the best odds to get back to a higher quality of life, even though it may be different. People can live with this disease," he said in a statement to Rolling Stone.
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