Celine DionB次元官网网址檚 sister says the Grammy Award-winning singer is facing further challenges as she continues to live with a rare neurological disorder.

Claudette Dion said in a new interview that her sister is focused on overcoming her illness, called stiff person syndrome, but that progress has been difficult.

B次元官网网址淪he is working hard, but she does not have control of her muscles,B次元官网网址� the elder sister told Quebec news outlet 7 Jours in an interview translated from French.

B次元官网网址淰ocal cords are muscles, and the heart is also a muscle. That is what really hits me.B次元官网网址�

She said the illness affects an estimated one out of a million people and is not yet well understood by current medical science.

Representatives for the Quebec-born songstress did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The 55-year-old announced last December that she had been diagnosed with the rare neurological disorder which leads to muscle rigidity and spasms that can be very painful.

The spasms can cause people to fall and put them at risk of injury. If the thoracic muscles are affected, people can have difficulty breathing.

Dion was determined to persevere, first delaying a block of dates on her B次元官网网址淐ourageB次元官网网址� world tour, but by last May, she was forced to cancel the remaining dates through April 2024.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 not giving upB次元官网网址� and I canB次元官网网址檛 wait to see you again,B次元官网网址� she said in May.

Her 75-year-old sister said fans of the B次元官网网址淢y Heart Will Go OnB次元官网网址� singer continue to send messages of support through the Fondation Maman Dion, the charity created in their motherB次元官网网址檚 name to support grade schoolchildren.

B次元官网网址淧eople tell us they love her and they are praying for her,B次元官网网址� she said.

B次元官网网址淪he is receiving so many messages, gifts, blessed crucifixes.B次元官网网址�

She added: B次元官网网址淲hat pains me is that she has always been disciplined. She has always worked hard.

B次元官网网址淢aman always told her: B次元官网网址榊ou are going to do it well, you are going to do it properly.B次元官网网址� Definitely, in our dream and in hers, the idea is to return to stage. In what state? I donB次元官网网址檛 know.B次元官网网址�

DionB次元官网网址檚 sister, who is also a well-known Quebec singer, has offered updates on her condition in recent months, including one to Hello! Canada over the summer where she said the spasms B次元官网网址渁re impossible to control.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 little we can do to support her, to alleviate her pain,B次元官网网址� she told the publication.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e crossing our fingers that researchers will find a remedy for this awful illness.B次元官网网址�

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 19, 2023.

David Friend, The Canadian Press