Celine Dion shares a personal experience in her latest documentary, “I Am: Celine Dion,” where she suffers a severe seizure lasting several minutes.
The documentary begins with her physician assessing her as she had been having spasms attributed to stiff person syndrome, a rare and progressive neurological condition.
Sports medicine therapist Terrill Lobo explains, “Part of the disease is that as soon as you go into a contraction, sometimes… the signal to release it doesn’t understand, so it ends up just staying in a contracted position.”
Soon after, the “My Heart Will Go On” singer begins to experience a severe seizure, prompting the doctor to summon an additional medical team member to administer Valium, a drug used for treating neurological conditions.
During this, Dion is audibly in distress, groaning and trembling while face down. When Lobo attempts to reposition her, Dion begins to whimper and cry.
In a particularly startling scene, Dion appears with her eyes wide open, visibly unable to move independently.
Despite this, she remains conscious, managing to slightly squeeze the hand of a medical professional to show she’s aware.
As Dion continues to spasm, tears stream from her eyes, and upon Lobo’s suggestion to relax, her crying intensifies.
After two doses of a nasal spray, Dion begins to recover from the seizure, but the doctor notes they would have needed to hospitalize her if the situation hadn’t improved.
Once recovered, Dion expresses her embarrassment about the incident to everyone in the room.
Struggling with her emotions, Dion reflects on the lack of control during such episodes, questioning, “How can I describe it? It’s like… not being able to control oneself.”
Lobo suggests that her recent singing session in the studio, which overstimulated her brain, likely triggered the seizure.
Questioning her future, Dion asks, “What am I supposed to do? If the things I love overstimulate me, and then I’m supposed to perform, with all these medical devices and restrictions?”
“Well, what am I gonna do?” the “Power of Love” singer then asks. “If I can’t get stimulated by what I love, and then I’m gonna go onstage and, like, you’re gonna put the pulse oximeter on me and you’re gonna turn me on my back?”
The documentary concludes with Dion singing “Who I Am” by Wyn Starks, a soulful R&B track reflecting resilience and self-acceptance.
In this emotional Prime Video documentary, which debuted on Tuesday, Dion reiterates her determination to return to performing, despite having to cancel numerous shows due to her diagnosis of stiff person syndrome in December 2022.
Despite postponements and cancellations of tours and residencies, Dion has shown recent signs of recovery and a potential return to the stage.
Dion made a striking appearance at the 2024 Grammys, her first in years, and dazzled at her documentary’s premiere in a stylish Dior ensemble.
In a heartfelt moment in her documentary, Dion vows, “If I can’t run, I’ll walk. If I can’t walk, I’ll crawl. But I won’t stop.”
“I Am: Celine Dion” is now available for streaming on Prime Video.
