By Mark Gray
2:50pm PST, Dec 18, 2023
_
Things don't seem to be getting better for Celine Dion. Last year, the Canadian singing legend was forced to cancel her world tour after being diagnosed with a rare and incurable neurological disease — stiff-person syndrome. The disorder severely impacts a person's mobility and causes the body to attack its own nerve cells.
Although Celine appeared well in a late October video, her sister is painting a grimmer picture.
Click through for the latest on Celine's condition, and why it doesn't bode well for her getting back on the stage anytime soon…
MORE: Follow Wonderwall on MSN for more celebrity & entertainment photo galleries and content
_
Celine Dion's older sister Claudette Dion, who has been somewhat of a family spokesman, said the "My Heart Will Go On" songstress is having trouble.
"She's working hard, but she doesn't have control over her muscles. What breaks my heart is that she's always been disciplined," Claudette told 7 Jours. "She's always worked hard. Our mother always told her, 'You're going to do it well, you're going to do it properly.'"
Claudette added: "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."
MORE: Follow Wonderwall on MSN for more celebrity & entertainment photo galleries and content
_
While detailing her sister's struggle, Claudette Dion said, "The vocal cords are muscles, and the heart is also a muscle. This is what comes to get me. Because it's one out of a million case, the scientists haven't done that much research because it didn't affect that many people."
Still, Celine Dion is being overwhelmed with support from her fans via her family charity, Fondation Maman Dion.
"Some people have lost hope because it's all illness that isn't well known. If only you knew the number of phone calls the Foundation gets about Celine! People tell us they love her and they're praying for her. She gets so many messages, presents and blessed crucifixes," Claudette said.
MORE: Follow Wonderwall on MSN for more celebrity & entertainment photo galleries and content
_
After postponing her Las Vegas residency show and canceling her world tour, Celine Dion shared heartbreaking news with fans on Instagram in December 2022, explaining in English and her native French that she'd been diagnosed with a rare and incurable neurological disease — stiff-person syndrome — that has affected her ability to sing.
Prior to the diagnosis, Celine had been facing debilitating spasms in recent years.
"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," she wrote, explaining that she again had to postpone her tour, adding in an emotional video that she's been under the care of doctors who are helping her face her health crisis in hopes she can perform again.
_
In a September interview with Hello! Canada, Claudette Dion said there's "little" anyone can really do in regard to helping her sister, Celine Dion.
"She's doing everything to recover. She's a strong woman," Claudette said. "While there is no cure for stiff person syndrome, there are treatments that slow down the progression and Celine revealed she is doing all she can to minimize symptoms."
Because of its rarity, not much is known about stiff person syndrome.
"It's an illness we know so little about. There are spasms — they're impossible to control. You know how 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," Claudette told Hello! "We're crossing our fingers that researchers will find a remedy for this awful illness."
_
Celine Dion has largely retreated from the spotlight while dealing with stiff person syndrome, but made an appearance at the Vegas Golden Knights hockey game on Oct. 30 as the team took on her hometown Montreal Canadiens. It was the first time fans had seen her since announcing the diagnosis.
Photos and videos posted on social media show the music icon — flanked by son René-Charles Angelil and twins Nelson and Eddy Angelil — in the Canadiens' locker room meeting with players and the organization's top brass. The team shared video of the Grammy winner conversing.
"Congratulations on all of your accomplishments," Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis told Celine in French, with a translation provided in the video's subtitles. He added, "I remember when you were 14 years old, you sang for the Pope. 'Une Colombe.'" Celine responded, "It's been a while since then, eh? Yeah."
Speaking about that moment with the Pope, the "My Heart Will Go On" icon said, "We've changed a little since then, but not too much… Everything we do comes from the heart."
While exchanging pleasantries with the coach, Celine said, "It's such an honor to meet you."
