Celine Dion, Lessons for us all...

There are probably more Canadians and people globally, who have heard of Canadian singer, performer and fashion icon Celine Dion, than haven’t.

The woman who made the movie Titanic even more famous with her performance of the film’s theme song “ My Heart will Go On, is today fighting a battle to go on.

Dion is doing everything in her power to overcome the pain, anguish and the debilitation she has experienced from a rare autoimmune and neurological disorder called Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS). Dion has been fighting this disease now for 17 years.

Last night’s CBC TV’s interview of Dion by The National’s Adrienne Arsenault showed a woman open, transparent, brave, accepting, caring; sharing with her fans and the general public details of her struggles.

Her hope she says, is to help her children, her fans and the general public, better understand what she is experiencing, and she hopes with her willingness to be a part of research being conducted on SPS; help others inflicted with the condition.

SPS not only causes debilitating spasms that make it impossible for her at times to sing, but can make her unable to move her arms, her legs, can cause her to fall easily, to break bones as her body stiffens rigidly? and randomly.

I am writing about Dion today not just because, I, like so many others, have admired her as a performer and am concerned about her health and wish for her a safe return to performing;? but because I am grateful to her for taking the time out of what was a tremendously? busy schedule, and now it appears the early stages of a confounding disease; to respond to my request to sign a 2010 Maternal Health petition. It urged G8 leaders to reach Millennium Goals to save women and newborns.

Research at the time revealed that millions of women and newborn babies? were dying or suffering severe injury during childbirth every year, despite the fact that “the vast majority of these injuries and deaths were preventable.”

Dion did not hesitate to sign it, becoming a catalyst for other celebrities, and organizations to join the cause.

At the time, I had taken on a communications contract with Canadian lawyer and women rights and health advocate Maureen McTeer, and the White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood.

The petition called on G8 leaders to commit to:

“Double international aid for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health.

To use this additional funding to:

Recruit, train and deploy additional skilled health workers to fill the shortfall of 2.5 million health professionals and 1 million community health workers.

Remove barriers of access to health care, with services for women and children.”

Signatories included: “Ai Tominaga, Angelique Kidjo, Annie Lennox, Claudia Winkleman, Celine Dion, Davina McCall, Diana Quick, Jarvis Church, Jermain Jenas, Dame Judi Dench, Joanna Lumley, Jully Black, June Sarpong, Kirstie Allsopp, Kristin Davis, Liya Kebede, Livia Firth, Margaret MacMillan, Mariella Frostrop, Mena Suvari, Minnie Driver, Maureen McTeer, Naomi Campbell, Rio Ferdinand, Scarlett Johansson, Wendi Murdoch, Amnesty International, AMREF, HIFA Challenge, Interact Worldwide, One, Oxfam International, Merlin, Mums Net, Royal Collage of Midwives, Save the Children, WaterAid, White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood and Women for Women International.”

It was an interesting time in Canadian, American and global history.? Women’s health was on the agenda. Barack Obama had become the first African American President of the United States and attended the G8 summit which was held here in Canada.

Model Christy Turlington - Burns had produced a documentary titled like the famous Bob Marley song,? No Woman, No Cry;? about her maternal health challenges. Also, she went further, founding an organization dedicated to improving access to maternity care around the world.

At the time, few if any knew or understood what Canada’s now incredibly famous artist and performer was going through, even as she performed on stages around the world. She has shown remarkable strength, courage and fortitude throughout this battle with a cruel disease that to date has no cure and could kill her.

I wish and I know many do, that as she says in her interview with Arsenault,

“I WILL SING AGAIN”

Dion’s documentary titled simply, I Am: Celine Dion, will be available for streaming starting 25 June 2024, on Amazon Prime Video. In Francophone countries, the film will be titled Je suis: Céline Dion.