Celine Dion Makes First Public Appearance in 3 Years

Transcript

00:00 "Bonjour madame." "Hey Martin." "Hey Martin, benis!" "C'est un plaisir de vous rencontrer." "Merci." "Merci beaucoup."

00:09 Celine Dion makes a rare public appearance, her first since going public with her Stiff

00:15 Person Syndrome diagnosis. "Life imposes things on you, you have no choice, you have to deal with them."

00:20 It's been three and a half years since Celine stepped out, but Monday night the Grammy winner

00:26 hit up a hockey game in Las Vegas to watch the Golden Knights face off against her hometown team,

00:31 the Montreal Canadiens. And while they ultimately lost, everyone seemed in good spirits in the

00:38 locker room as Celine chatted it up with the players. "How are you? Nice to meet you."

00:44 Celine first shared that she was battling Stiff Person Syndrome back in December,

00:51 posting an emotional video to Instagram, opening up about the rare and incurable neurological disease

00:58 which could prevent her from ever performing again. "Unfortunately, these spasms affect

01:05 every aspect of my daily life, sometimes causing difficulties when I walk and not allowing me to use

01:20 my vocal cords to sing the way I'm used to." "People can die from complications from the

01:26 disease. It's serious." Dr. Tara Zier, who isn't treating Celine but has the disease herself,

01:34 told ET the singer faces a potentially debilitating future. "Many people require

01:40 assisted aids for mobility, like walkers, wheelchairs. Some people are bedridden.

01:47 They can have spasms so severe that they break bones." While Celine initially postponed some

01:54 planned concerts in her December announcement, in May, the Grammy winner canceled all 42 remaining

02:00 dates on her Courage World Tour. "I'm working hard every day to build back my strength and my

02:09 ability to perform again, but I have to admit it's been a struggle." "I do know people with SPS who do

02:19 sing. It's definitely possible. If she can tolerate the physical therapy, then there are a lot of

02:26 pluses. It may take multiple attempts to get back." And all that makes Celine's recent appearance all

02:36 the more special. "Just stay healthy, strong, healthy, nothing wrong. Do what you do best.

02:43 One more. Sorry. I'll keep going." "It's nice to meet you. I'm Celine." "Let's not be shy."

02:54 Celine's sons, Rene Charles and twins Nelson and Eddie, were with her,

02:58 posing with a couple of the players. "Let's not be shy. You smell great."

03:04 "We have to live one day at a time." "I'm alive, yeah, yeah, yeah."

03:11 In August, her sister Claudette shared an update on Celine's health,

03:16 telling Le Journal de Montreal that their sister Linda moved in to help take care of the superstar,

03:21 and that what she needs most is rest. "I have no choice but to concentrate on my health at this

03:30 moment." She always goes above and beyond, and always tries to be the best and top of her game.

03:36 At one point, your heart and your body are trying to tell you something.

03:40 It's important to listen to it. "I want to thank you so much. I miss you so much."