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Céline Dion's New Documentary To Be About Her Life With Rare Stiff Person Syndrome? Singer Reveals In A Statement
Amazon-MGM is set to release I Am: Céline Dion, a film that follows the life of the singer as she grapples with a spinal cord condition, Stiff person syndrome.
A new documentary about Céline Dion aims to educate about stiff person syndrome, the neurological disorder the singer has been diagnosed with.
Stiff person syndrome, first diagnosed in 1956, is a rare autoimmune neurological disorder that can cause progressive muscle stiffness and painful spasms in the lower back, legs, and torso. It affects an estimated one to two people in a million.
Céline Dion's new documentary is about her life with Stiff Person Syndrome
Amazon-MGM will release I Am: Céline Dion, a film that spans a year in the life of the globally successful singer, Céline Dion as she deals with the condition that affects her spinal cord and brain. “This last couple of years has been such a challenge for me, the journey from discovering my condition to learning how to live with and manage it, but not to let it define me,” Dion said in a statement.
“As the road to resuming my performing career continues, I have realized how much I have missed it, of being able to see my fans. During this absence, I decided I wanted to document this part of my life to help others who share this diagnosis.” Dion added that she hopes the film will “raise awareness of this little-known condition”.
Dion revealed in an Instagram video in December 2022 that she was suffering from stiff person syndrome, which affected her daily life and caused her to cancel all future tour dates in May 2023. In December 2023, her sister told the Canadian website 7 Hours that she didn’t have control over her muscles but was determined to return to the stage.
Oscar-nominated Irene Taylor, known for her Hulu documentary Leave No Trace: A Hidden History of the Boy Scouts and HBO's Trees and Other Entanglements, is set to direct the new film. The documentary has yet to be given a release date.
What is stiff person syndrome and can it be treated?
Stiff person syndrome (SPS) is a rare autoimmune neurological disorder that can cause progressive muscle stiffness and painful spasms in the lower back, legs, and torso. Stiffness often fluctuates, getting worse and then improving temporarily. People affected by SPS can suffer from chronic pain, falls, and loss of mobility over time.
The disorder which was originally known as stiff man syndrome, is a rare autoimmune condition affecting one to two people in a million, primarily in women aged 40-50, but can also affect children in rare cases. Many patients with SPS also have another autoimmune disease, such as type 1 diabetes, vitiligo, or pernicious anemia.
SPS, a rare and complex condition, is believed to be caused by an autoimmune reaction where the body attacks healthy tissues. Around 80% of SPS patients have autoantibodies in their blood that target specific nerve cells in the brain that produce GABA, a brain chemical that regulates motor neurons. This leads to overactive neurons sending signals to muscles, causing muscle tenseness and spasms. Understanding the biology behind SPS remains challenging due to its rarity.
SPS is often misdiagnosed as Parkinson's disease due to its rare nature and overlapping symptoms with other conditions like multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, anxiety, and phobias. Blood tests and MRI/CT scans are used to examine the spine and muscles, but are usually used to rule out other conditions that could be confused with SPS.
SPS has no cure, but treatments like sedatives, muscle relaxants, and steroids can manage muscle stiffness and spasms. Immunotherapy, which uses antibodies to outcompete problematic ones, has been shown to reduce stiffness and improve gait, and balance in patients who receive intravenous immunoglobulin, a treatment designed to outcompete problematic antibodies.
ALSO READ: Celine Dion seen having the time of her life at Katy Perry's Las Vegas show; details inside
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