‘She is strong’: Celine Dion's sister Claudette denies rumors of her being wheelchair-bound and dying
The 55-year-old singer reportedly went public about her stiff person syndrome diagnosis in December last year
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA: Celine Dion has reportedly been doing okay even after getting diagnosed with stiff person syndrome (SPS), which causes painful muscle spasms and muscle stiffness or rigidity, her sister claimed.
Claudette Dion's confirmation came after a video went viral, suggesting that the 55-year-old singer’s condition has worsened and “she’s dying”.
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The September video posted on YouTube also stated that “Celine is now in severe constant pain and there’s nothing that can be done anymore to help her and her incurable disease is progressing very quickly.”
Daily Mail reported that the same misinformation has gone viral on TikTok as well.
‘She is not depressed at all’
But Claudette refuted the rumors by telling the French-language site showbizz.net, “I know that morally, mentally, she is strong. She is not depressed at all … she really has the joy of living.”
Hitting back at the rumors, she added, “Why do they say she is in a wheelchair? Why do they say she had cancer? Why are you inventing?”
‘I am a mom just trying to survive a 1 in a million disease’
This comes as several people with the same disease have spoken about their challenges online. One such person is Jennifer Trujillo.
She shared on a GoFundMe page, “I am a mom just trying to survive a 1 in a million disease called Stiff Person Syndrome and raise awareness in the process.
“I never imagined I would be blessed with 6 children just to have this destructive disease hit me during my last pregnancy in 2015. Though I wasn't diagnosed until 2020.”
The woman further noted, “I can't talk, or breathe. It affects every muscle in my body. It is nicknamed Tin Man Syndrome because we eventually get stuck and our muscles become rigid.”
She stated, “SPS is progressive and though there is no cure, I was on IVIG therapy for 2 years to try to slow it down but, after 4 severe adverse reactions, 1 causing a heart attack, I am no longer a candidate. So now my disease is progressing quickly.”
“I'm allergic to other medications and therapies so there is not much that can be done. I can barely walk, and bed bound at the moment due to a severe fall. They happen a lot with this disease,” Trujillo added.
