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Canadian pop star Celine Dion says living with a painful rare disease is a battle, although she doesn’t feel alone.
In an interview Monday at the premiere of the Prime Video documentary “I Am: Celine Dion” in New York, Etalk Senior Correspondent Lainey Lui asked Dion what gives her the strength to not give up when dealing with stiff person syndrome.
“The mother is in me,” she said, looking close to tears. Dion has three sons: Rene-Charles Angelil, 23, and 13-year-old twin sons, Nelson and Eddie, with her late husband Rene Angelil. Angelil died of cancer in 2016. “It was a battle but I was not alone, and my family was with me and my children and the wonderful doctors and all the fans.”
The 56-year-old singer, who was born near Montreal in Carre-Grand, Quebec, publicly shared her diagnosis in December 2022. She canceled all her tour dates following the revelation. The progressive disease affects the brain and spinal cord, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. This can cause painful spasms and muscle stiffness, among other symptoms.
Dion said the condition prevented her from being able to “sing like I used to,” but the documentary, which chronicles her journey with the neurological disorder, helped take some of the weight off her shoulders. It will air worldwide on Prime Video on June 25.
“This documentary… it gave me so much salvation,” she told Etalk on Monday.
A ‘love letter’ to fans
CNN reported that Dion expressed gratitude to her neurologist, Dr. Amanda Pickett, during a speech before the documentary premiered.
“In finding ways to manage and treat my condition, Dr. Pickett provided a very, very important result for me: She replaced my fear with hope,” Dion told a cheering crowd at Monday’s event.
Dion also thanked her fans for being a part of her journey.
“This film is a love letter to each of you, and I hope to see you all again very soon,” she said in her speech.
Her fans have done more to support her than any artist could hope for, she added in an interview with Etalk.
Comeback plans
Upon her return to the spotlight, Dion vowed to make a comeback, determined to perform again for her fans.
According to the Canadian newspaper, she said in an interview published in the May edition of Vogue France that she was working “very hard” to return to the stage, but she did not know when that would happen. She revealed that she does athletic, physical and voice therapy five days a week.
“I chose to work with my whole body and soul, from head to toe, with a medical team,” she told the magazine. “I want to be the best I can be.”
With files from The Canadian Press and CNN
(Except translation, this story has not been edited by achinews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
source link https://www.ctvnews.ca/entertainment/as-she-battles-rare-disease-celine-dion-shares-what-gives-her-strength-1.6931001
