Celine Dion, 55, makes her FIRST APPEARANCE in over THREE years at hockey game in Las Vegas… amid terrifying battle with stiff-person syndrome

• Singer greeted players and fans at the Montreal Canadiens/ Vegas Golden Knights match
• In May, Celine’s tour was canceled after she was sidelined with a neurological disorder called stiff person syndrome
• READ MORE:  Celine Dion song memorabilia goes up for auction amid singer’s tragic health battle

Celine Dion made a rare appearance Monday evening at a hockey game in Las Vegas, Nevada as she continues to battle stiff-person syndrome.

The superstar Titanic singer, 55, was spotted in public for the first time in three-and-a-half years as the Montreal Canadiens took on the Vegas Golden Knights. 

In footage posted online, Celine looked to be in great spirits as she greeted players and fans in the locker rooms after the match.

‘A great visit to our game in Vegas yesterday,’ Montreal’s vice-president of hockey communications Chantal Machabée wrote alongside a clip posted to her Instagram. ‘Thank you Celine Dion for your generosity. The whole team was very happy to meet you and your family.’

Celine was accompanied by her sons René-Charles, 22, and twins Nelson and Eddy, 13.

Rare Outing: Celine Dion made a rare appearance Monday evening at a hockey game in Las Vegas amid her battle with stiff-person syndrome

Spotted: The superstar, 55, was spotted in public for the first time in 3 1/2 years as she greeted fans after watching the Montreal Canadiens take on the Vegas Golden Knights

Looking in good spirits: Montreal’s vice-president of hockey communications Chantal Machabée took to her Instagram to share a video of the iconic singer, who appeared in great spirits while hugging Machabee

‘It’s such an honor to meet you,’ Celine told coach Martin St. Louis in French in another video. ‘It was an incredible night.’

She was also heard giving advice to the hockey players, saying, ‘Just stay healthy, strong. Do what you do best.’

The Grammy winner has kept a very low profile since announcing she was diagnosed with Moersch-Woltman Syndrome in 2022.

The condition, also called Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS), is a rare neurological condition that gives people painful muscle spasms.

She revealed her diagnosis in December, which forced her to pull the plug on her ‘Courage World Tour’ five months ago.

‘I’m so sorry to disappoint all of you once again,’ Celine wrote on Instagram on May 26. ‘I’m working really hard to build back my strength, but touring can be very difficult even when you’re 100%.

‘It’s not fair to you to keep postponing the shows, and even though it breaks my heart, it’s best that we cancel everything now until I’m really ready to be back on stage again,’ she continued. 

‘I want you all to know, I’m not giving up and I can’t wait to see you again!’

Great visit: ‘A great visit to our game in Vegas yesterday,’ Machabée wrote alongside the snaps. ‘Thank you Celine Dion for your generosity. The whole team was very happy to meet you and your family.’

Family affair: Celine was accompanied by her sons René-Charles, and twins Nelson and Eddy, and the family posed with a few of the athletes following the match

The Grammy winner has kept a very low profile since announcing she was diagnosed with Moersch-Woltman Syndrome in 2022

Condition: The condition, also called Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS), is a rare neurological condition that gives people painful muscle spasms

Her older sibling Claudette Dion, 74, has now said she is devastated and there seems little she and the singer’s family can do to help her ‘strong’ sister or ‘alleviate her pain’.

Claudette told HELLO! Canada: ‘She’s doing everything to recover. She’s a strong woman.

‘It’s an illness we know so little about. There are spasms – they’re impossible to control.

DIagnosis: She revealed her diagnosis in December, which forced her to pull the plug on her ‘Courage World Tour’ five months ago

Apologies: “I’m so sorry to disappoint all of you once again,” Celine wrote on Instagram on May 26. ‘I’m working really hard to build back my strength, but touring can be very difficult even when you’re 100%.’

‘You know who people often jump up in the night because of a cramp in the leg or the calf? It’s a bit like that, but in all muscles.

‘There’s little we can do to support her, to alleviate her pain.’

She added mum-of-three Celine’s family is ‘crossing our fingers that researchers will find a remedy for this awful illness’.

Celine’s other sister Linda and her husband have moved into the singer’s home in Las Vegas to care for her, and Claudette added: ‘It’s comforting for us all (to have them near Celine.)’

Claudette has previously revealed that despite working with ‘the top researchers in the field’, Grammy-winning Celine has seen little improvement in her health.

Reveal: She revealed her diagnosis in December, which forced her to pull the plug on her ‘Courage World Tour’, and her older sibling Claudette Dion, 74, has now said she is devastated there seems little she and the singer’s family can do to help her ‘strong’ sister or ‘alleviate her pain’

Struggle: Claudette told HELLO! Canada: ‘She’s doing everything to recover. She’s a strong woman. ‘It’s an illness we know so little about. There are spasms – they’re impossible to control

She told Le Journal de Montreal: ‘We can’t find any medicine that works, but having hope is important.”

Claudette said Celine cancelling her ‘Courage’ tour was a necessary move for her chances of rehabilitation.

She added about the singer: ‘I honestly think that she mostly needs to rest. She always goes above and beyond, she always tries to be the best and top of her game. At one point, your heart and your body are trying to tell you something. It’s important to listen to it.’

Celine’s sons have also been credited with with helping their mother amid her battle with Stiff Person Syndrome. 

René-Charles, Eddy and Nelson have been ‘her rock’ as she grapples with the rare neurological condition, a source told Us Weekly.

Helping hand: Celine’s sons have also been credited with with helping their mother amid her battle with Stiff Person Syndrome 

Late father: Celine’s three sons’ father is Celine’s late husband René Angélil, who died age 73 in 2016 after they were married for 22 years

Not ready: In September 2019, she said on Today that she wasn’t ready to date after losing her husband to throat cancer

‘Her kids have been her rock… The twins are very mature for their age and René-Charles checks in and dotes on his mom all the time,’ the insider said of the three boys, whose father is Celine’s late husband René Angélil, who died age 73 in 2016 after they were married for 22 years.

Back in January 2020, she posted to Instagram on the fourth anniversary of his death.

‘There is not a day that goes by without me thinking about your beautiful smile,’ she wrote. ‘We miss you, thank you for watching over us my love. I love you. Céline xx.’

In September 2019, she said on Today that she wasn’t ready to date after losing her husband to throat cancer.

‘I don’t date. I’m not ready to date,’ she admitted. ‘I’m very lucky and happy to have so many people in my surrounding to make me — they make me laugh.’ 

WHAT IS STIFF PERSON SYNDROME? 

Stiff-person syndrome (SPS) is a rare, progressive neurological disorder. Symptoms may include: Stiff muscles in the trunk (torso), arms, and legs. Greater sensitivity to noise, touch, and emotional distress, which can set off muscle spasms, according to NIH.

Over time people with SPS may develop hunched over postures. Some people may be too disabled to walk or move. Many fall frequently because they do not have the normal reflexes to catch themselves. This can lead to serious injuries. People with SPS may be afraid to leave the house because street noises, such as the sound of a car horn, can trigger spasms and falls.

Who is more likely to get stiff-person syndrome?

SPS affects twice as many females as males.

It is frequently associated with other autoimmune diseases such as type-I diabetes, thyroiditis, vitiligo, and pernicious anemia.

Scientists don’t yet understand what causes SPS, but research indicates that it is the result of an autoimmune response gone awry in the brain and spinal cord.

How is stiff-person syndrome diagnosed and treated?

Diagnosing SPS

SPS is often misdiagnosed as Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, psychosomatic illness, or anxiety and phobia. A definitive diagnosis can be made with a blood test that measures the level of glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) antibodies.

Most people with SPS have elevated (higher) levels of GAD antibodies. Antibody titers are important for the diagnosis of SPS. A titer is a laboratory test that measures the presence and amount of antibodies in blood. Elevated GAD titers, up to 10 times above normal, also are seen in diabetes but in SPS the titers are very high (at least 10 times above the range seen in diabetes) or are present in the spinal fluid.

Treating SPS

With appropriate treatment, SPS symptoms may be kept under control. Several symptoms improve with oral diazepam (an anti-anxiety and muscle relaxant drug) or with drugs that alleviate muscle spasms, such as baclofen or gabapentin.

A study funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) showed that intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) treatment is effective in reducing stiffness, sensitivity to noise, touch, and stress and for improving gait and balance for people with SPS. IVIg contains immunoglobulins (natural antibodies produced by the immune system) derived from thousands of healthy donors.

INFORMATION COURTEST NIH 

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