Celine Dion Lost Control of Her Muscles Due to ‘Stiff Person Syndrome’

Celine Dion's Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS) is progressing. The “My Heart Will Go On” singer's rare and incurable neurological disease that can cause debilitating muscle spasms has rendered her unable to control certain body movements, her sister Claudette says. Per Canadian publication 7 Jours, Claudette says Celine, 55, doesn't have control over her muscles anymore. "What breaks my heart is that she's always been disciplined. She's always worked hard. Our mother always told her, 'You're going to do it well; you're going to do it properly.'" She noted, "It's true that in both our dreams and hers, the goal is to return to the stage. In what capacity? I don't know." According to Claudette, their sister Linda has been living with Celine in the Las Vegas area as she receives care from doctors who specialize in stiff-person syndrome. Celine has thirteen siblings, and she is the youngest.

It has been almost a year to the day after the Canadian singer revealed her SPS disgnosis in a tearful video posted to her Instagram account in both English and French. At the time, Dion said her health problems would force her to postpone and cancel a series of upcoming concert dates. “I’ve been dealing with problems with my health for a long time, and it’s been really difficult for me to face these challenges and to talk about everything that I’ve been going through…,” Dion wrote in the caption. “It hurts me to tell you that I won’t be ready to restart my tour in Europe in February.” In May, Celine canceled her world tour, apologizing to her fans on Instagram for postponing the shows again.

The Grammy-winning artist said at the time that she has been dealing with problems with her health "for a long time, and it’s been really difficult for me to face these challenges and talk about everything I’ve been going through." According to the Stiff Person Syndrome Foundation, the condition affects the central nervous system, specifically the brain and spinal cord. “Patients can be disabled, wheelchair-bound or bed-ridden, unable to work and care for themselves,” the website reads. The neurological disease with autoimmune features can include symptoms like “hyper-rigidity, debilitating pain, chronic anxiety,” and muscle spasms “so violent they can dislocate joints and even break bones.”

When it comes to our skin's appearance, many factors are out of our control. Many people are struggling with issues pertaining to their skin. For some, certain skin conditions can be hidden away or managed. But for others, there is no hiding something on your face. Even the rich and famous deal with suffering from a skin condition. Sometimes, seeing a celebrity be open and offer a positive approach to dealing with skin issues may be helpful to those who are experiencing the same issues.

Common skin conditions include acne, contact dermatitis (rash), atopic dermatitis (also called eczema), rosacea, warts and moles, hyperpigmentation, and psoriasis. Skin disorders such as acne and eczema vary greatly in symptoms and severity. Eczema is characterized by yellow or white scaly patches that flake off. Affected areas may be itchy, greasy, or oily, and hair loss may also occur in the area with the rash. Psoriasis, however, is a chronic autoimmune condition that causes the rapid buildup of your skin cells. This buildup of cells causes scaling on your skin’s surface. Inflammation and redness around the scales are fairly common, and sometimes, these patches crack and bleed.

When it comes to the chronic skin disease rosacea, the skin goes through cycles of fading and relapse. Rosacea’s trademark symptom is small, red, pus-filled bumps on the skin that are present during flare-ups. Typically, rosacea affects only the skin on your nose, cheeks, and forehead. The cause of rosacea is still unknown, and there is no cure. Meanwhile, vitiligo is characterized by loss of pigment in the skin due to autoimmune destruction of the cells that give skin its color. These cells, called melanocytes, no longer produce skin pigment or melanin, causing areas of your skin to lose color or turn white.

Per Healthline, skin conditions can be temporary or permanent and painless or painful. Some can be life-threatening. Some skin disorders have situational causes, such as high stress, while others may be genetic.

Take a look below at which celebrities have opened up about their skin conditions and even become advocates.