“I’m well, but it’s a lot of work. I’m taking it one day at a time,” Dion told Vogue France. “I haven’t beat the disease, as it’s still within me and always will be. I hope that we’ll find a miracle, a way to cure it with scientific research, but for now I have to learn to live with it. So that’s me, now with Stiff Person Syndrome. Five days a week I undergo athletic, physical and vocal therapy.”
Stiff person syndrome (SPS) is a rare neurological disorder characterized by fluctuating muscle rigidity and painful spasms in the trunk and limbs. The exact cause of SPS is unknown, but it is believed to involve an autoimmune component, where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks its own tissues. This may be linked to antibodies that interfere with neurotransmitters, which are chemicals that help transmit signals in the brain and nervous system.