Celine Dion is “doing everything she can” as she continues to battle her incurable stiff person syndrome diagnosis, according to the singer’s sister.
Speaking to HELLO! Canada, Claudette Dion, 74, said there’s little she and the family can do to help her “strong” sister, 55, and “alleviate her pain.”
“She’s doing everything to recover,” she told the outlet. “She’s a strong woman.”
“It’s an illness we know so little about,” Claudette continued. “There are spasms — they’re impossible to control. You know who people 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,” she shared, adding that they’re “crossing our fingers that researchers will find a remedy for this awful illness.”
According to the National Institutes of Health, stiff person syndrome is a “rare, progressive neurological disorder” that can cause stiff muscles in the torso, arms and legs.
It affects about one in a million people.
Their sister Linda and her husband have since moved into Celine’s Las Vegas home to act as caretakers for the “My Heart Will Go On” hitmaker.
“It’s comforting for us all [to have them near Celine],” Claudette added.
Last month, Claudette revealed that despite working with “the top researchers in the field,” the Grammy winner has seen little improvement in her health.
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“We can’t find any medicine that works, but having hope is important,” Claudette told Le Journal de Montreal.
Celine revealed her diagnosis in December 2022, which forced her to pull the plug on her Courage World Tour.
Claudette said canceling the tour was a necessary move for her chances of rehabilitation.
“I honestly think that she mostly needs to rest,” she previously said. “She always goes above and beyond, she always tries to be the best and top of her game. At one point, your heart and your body are trying to tell you something. It’s important to listen to it.”
In May, Celine announced “with tremendous disappointment” that she was canceling over 40 of her tour dates due to the debilitating disorder.
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“I’m so sorry to disappoint all of you once again. I’m working really hard to build back my strength, but touring can be very difficult even when you’re 100%,” she wrote via Instagram at the time.
“It’s not fair to you to keep postponing the shows, and even though it breaks my heart, it’s best that we cancel everything now until I’m really ready to be back on stage again,” she continued.
“I want you all to know, I’m not giving up… and I can’t wait to see you again!”
