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Celine Dion says her sons push her to battle Stiff-Person Syndrome; ‘You lost your dad, mom has a condition’

Dion opened up about her condition and the fact that her sons already lost a parent.


Maria Loreto
Senior Writer
JUNE 11, 2024 12:21 PM EDT

Celine Dion is opening up about her Stiff-Person Syndrome, a diagnosis that has greatly affected her personal and professional life. In a new interview, Dion discussed the pivotal role that her sons have played in her recovery, pushing her to get better considering the fact that they already lost their father.

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Celine Dion at Watch What Happens Live

Dion and her former husband René Angélil share three kids: Rene-Charles, 23, and twins, Nelson and Eddy, 13. Angélil died in 2016 from throat cancer, leaving Dion with her sons, something that has pushed her to stay strong in the face of her diagnosis and battle against her own disease.

“I barely could walk at one point, and I was missing very much living. My kids started to notice. I was like, ‘OK, they already lost a parent. I don’t want them to be scared,’” said Dion in an interview with People. “I let them know, ‘You lost your dad, [but] mom has a condition and it’s different. I’m not going to die. It’s something that I’m going to learn to live with.”

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Dion’s health struggles will be explored in a documentary

This June 25, Dion will be premiering “I Am: Celine Dion,” a documentary exploring her health struggles and her journey towards recovery and returning to stages. Throughout this month, she’ll be discussing the documentary and her health, including an interview with Hoda Kobt for NBC News, where she revealed that she’d been experiencing health issues for years without knowing the root of them.

“I did not take the time — I should have stopped, take the time to figure it out,” she said in a preview. “My husband as well was fighting for his own life. I had to raise my kids, I had to hide. I had to try to be a hero.”Dion’s interview will air this June 10th.