lCanadian singer Celine Dion admitted that she was very scared when she began experiencing symptoms of what would later be diagnosed as stiff person syndrome.
The 56-year-old music star spoke with Hoda Kotb in an interview on NBCNews which aired in ‘The Today Show’and remembered how terrifying the ordeal was.
“I went on stage and started sounding more nasal,” Celine recalled. “I said to myself, ‘It’s a bit of a cold start,’ or ‘It’s the third show in a row, you’re working too hard,’ but what I felt was different. I started to feel like my body was stiffer.”
This took place while Dion was on her world tour Taking Chances 2008, and his health problems arose during a show in Germany.
I told my assistants and my people: ‘I don’t know if I can do the show.’ She was very, very, very scared. And then you panic, and the more you panic, the more you twitch.
The Spasms are one of the main conditions of the syndrome, although they can also cause difficulty speaking and double vision. The Painful contractions can also cause patients to lose the ability to walk and talk.
“When I try to breathe, my lungs are fine. What’s in front of my lungs is so stiff,” he said in his Prime Video documentary ‘I Am: Celine Dion’.
Dion and her fight to overcome health problems
Not wanting to disappoint her fans, Dion explained how she overcame her symptoms.
“We tone down the songs a little bit with the keys,” Dion said. “I did my best because my fans accepted my invitation and I didn’t know what to say to them. ‘Will I do my best tonight?’ No. You’re going to give it your all or you’re not coming.
“Everyone said, ‘You look impeccable,’ but I couldn’t control my voice anymore and I want to control it,” she added.
Dion later received a official diagnosis that was made public in December 2022 after announcing that it was postponing several shows.
Despite her condition, Dion says she has every intention of returning to the stage.
“I spent my entire life in the music industry being a performer and loving every moment. This passion will never go away,” Dion said.
I’m going back to the stage, even if I have to crawl, even if I have to talk with my hands. I will do that. I will do it… Not just because I have to or need to, but because I want to do it. I miss him.
