Stiff-person syndrome: Celine Dion draws strength for sons

Music icon Céline Dion has revealed how her sons fuel her determination to fight against stiff-person syndrome (SPS), a rare autoimmune and neurological disorder. 

Dion, who was diagnosed with SPS in August 2022, sharing her emotional journey 

in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE magazine described how she finds strength for her three sons amid her health struggles.

Dion, 56, mother to René-Charles, 23, and 13-year-old twins Nelson and Eddy, has been dealing with mysterious health issues since the mid-2000s. Her symptoms, including severe muscle spasms and difficulty walking and breathing, worsened significantly before her SPS diagnosis. "I barely could walk at one point, and I was missing very much living. My kids started to notice. I was like, 'Okay, they already lost a parent. I don't want them to be scared,'" Dion told PEOPLE.

Dion's husband, René Angélil, passed away from throat cancer in 2016. Reflecting on her commitment to her sons, she said, "I let them know, 'You lost your dad, [but] mom has a condition and it's different. I'm not going to die. It's something that I'm going to learn to live with.'"

Dion's story will be further explored in a Prime Video documentary, "I Am: Celine Dion," directed by Academy Award-nominated director Irene Taylor, which will be available for streaming globally on June 25. The film's trailer shows Dion's determination to return to the stage. "I miss it so much. The people, I miss them," she says in the trailer. "If I can't run, I'll walk. If I can't walk, I'll crawl ... I won't stop."

Dion will also discuss her health battle in a sit-down interview with Hoda Kotb for an NBC News primetime special, airing Tuesday, June 11, at 10 p.m. EST. 

In a preview aired on Today, Dion reflected on her past decisions, "I did not take the time — I should have stopped, take the time to figure it out. My husband as well was fighting for his own life. I had to raise my kids, I had to hide. I had to try to be a hero."