Celine Dion on finding strength in her sons amid her stiff-person syndrome battle

Celine Dion is opening up about what keeps her motivated amid her battle with stiff-person syndrome.

The "That's the Way It Is" singer, 56, told People for the magazine's latest cover story that her three sons have given her the strength and inspiration she needed when facing the autoimmune neurological disorder. Stiff-person syndrome is a rare disease that includes rigidity and stiffness in certain areas of the body, causing unsteadiness, slower movements, and difficulty walking.

"I barely could walk at one point, and I was missing very much living. My kids started to notice," she said. "I was like, 'OK, they already lost a parent. I don't want them to be scared.'"

Dion's late husband, René Angélil, with whom she shared sons René-Charles, 23, and 13-year-old twins Nelson and Eddy, died from throat cancer in 2016.

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"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,'" she recalled telling them.

The award-winning singer's eldest son escorted her onstage at the 2024 Grammys earlier this year and she recently shared a photograph with all three of her sons backstage at a Rolling Stones concert.

Dion's battle with stiff-person syndrome is the subject of a new documentary, "I Am: Celine Dion," which streams on Amazon's Prime Video beginning June 25.