Celine Dion’s sister calls her a “strong woman” amid the singer’s struggle with rigid person syndrome

CNN
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Celine Dion’s sister has shared an update while the “Heart Will Go On” singer is dealing with a rare health issue.

“She’s doing everything she can to get well,” said Claudette, Dion’s older sister. Welcome! Canada Thursday. “She is a strong woman.”

The Grammy winner’s family is rallying around as she battles stiff person syndrome, a rare disorder that causes involuntary muscle spasms.

“It’s a disease we know so little about,” Claudette said. “There are spasms, and it’s impossible to control them.

“There is not much we can do to support her and ease her pain,” she added.

Dion announced in December last year that she had been diagnosed with the syndrome, and that she had taken a leave of absence from her professional commitments to focus on her health.

And while she announced new music in April and appeared in a film opposite Priyanka Chopra, a source close to Dion told CNN in late May that she “will probably never tour again.”

“We hope researchers will find a cure for this terrible disease,” Claudette said this week.

The Canadian newspaper also said that Dion is staying in Las Vegas where she is working with a team of doctors as well as a sports medicine therapist to regain her strength.