It’s the big surprise of the Grammy Awards evening. Music legend Celine Dion made a surprise appearance last night in Los Angeles to present the award for best album of the year to Taylor Swift. The presence of the Canadian singer is an event in itself, as her appearances are rare.
When his name was announced, the entire Grammy Awards room stood up to applaud him. “Thank you, I love you,” replied Céline Dion. “When I say I’m happy to be here, I really mean it, from the bottom of my heart.”
The singer announced at the end of January the release of a documentary discussing her illness, stiff man syndrome. This documentary, entitled “I am: Céline Dion” will be broadcast on Prime Video.
Stiff person syndrome (PRS) is a rare disease affecting the central nervous system and manifests as stiffness, muscle spasms, and increased sensitivity to external stimuli that further aggravate contractions. It was first described in 1956 by Moersch and Woltman who analyzed 14 patients with axial rigidity associated with painful spasms. It is a disease of difficult and often late diagnosis, with a progressive and serious course.
Most people with the disease are women. This is an extremely rare disease. According to the American organization NORD, which aims to provide support to people with rare diseases, the incidence is around 1 in a million people.
Treatment aims to relieve the specific symptoms that manifest in each individual, which often requires non-drug approaches (stretching, thermotherapy, aquatherapy, massage therapy, acupuncture, etc.).
Certain medications can also be used to treat muscle stiffness and episodic spasms. Currently, there is no cure for this disease.