Celine Dion’s sister, Claudette Dion, is sharing a heartbreaking update about the superstar’s battle with stiff person syndrome.
Claudette recently told Canada’s 7 Jours that Celine, 55, has “lost control of her muscles,” per the Daily Mail, as the debilitating condition has worsened over time.
“What breaks my heart is that she’s always been disciplined,” she told the outlet. “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 that Celine has a desire to perform again despite the dire outlook.
“It’s true that in both our dreams and hers, the goal is to return to the stage,” she said. “In what capacity? I don’t know.”
In December 2022, Celine announced that she would have to cancel the remainder of her “Courage” world tour due to the progressive and incurable neurological disorder that attacks one’s muscles — including vocal cords and the heart.
“The vocal cords are muscles, and the heart is also a muscle,” Claudette acknowledged while speaking to 7 Jours. “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.”
The “My Heart Will Go On” hitmaker’s sibling went on to say she has been in contact with many people suffering from stiff person syndrome — and their loved ones — who have “lost hope” that a cure will ever be found.
Claudette said that an influx of patients and their families have reached out to the Dion family charity, Fondation Mama Dion, for guidance. They’ve also sent kind messages as Celine fights the disease.
“If only you knew the number the number of messages the foundation gets about Celine! People tell us they love her and they’re praying for her,” she said. “She gets so many messages, presents and blessed crucifixes.”
The well wishes and prayers are rolling in, but Claudette previously told Le Journal de Montreal that Celine has seen hardly any improvement in her health — although the Dion family has been working with “the top researchers in the field.”
Per the Daily Mail, she previously told Le Journal de Montreal that Celine “can’t find any medicine that works,” but added that maintaining “hope is important.”
Claudette’s 7 Jours interview comes two months after Celine — who last took the stage in March 2020 — made a rare public appearance during an NHL game at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Oct. 30.
The “I’m Alive” singer took her sons — René-Charles, 22, and 13-year-old twins, Eddy and Nelson, whom she shared with late husband René Angélil — backstage, where they posed for photos with a few hockey players.
