Céline Dion appeared to be in good spirits this week as she returned to the public eye for the first time since sharing her stiff person syndrome diagnosis nearly a year ago.
The five-time Grammy winner attended an NHL hockey game at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena on Monday night, accompanied by sons René-Charles, 22, and Nelson and Eddy, both 13.
Though the French-Canadian chanteuse now resides in the Vegas area, she supported her hometown team, the Montreal Canadiens, as they faced the Vegas Golden Knights. Video and photos shared on the Canadiens’ social media pages show the singer being ushered to the locker room after the game, where she chatted up the team’s players and posed for snapshots.
On Wednesday, Dion herself captured the experience for posterity with a series of photos on Instagram.
“My boys and I had such a fun time visiting with the Montreal Canadiens after their hockey game with Vegas Golden Knights in Las Vegas Monday night,” she wrote in the caption. “They played so well, what a game!! Thank you for meeting us after the game, guys! That was memorable for all of us. Have a great season!”
Watch an “Entertainment Tonight” report on Céline Dion’s appearance below.
According to multiple reports, Monday’s game marked Dion’s first public appearance in more than three years.
For the singer’s legions of fans, it’s an encouraging sign. Last December, she revealed that she’d been diagnosed with stiff person syndrome, noting that the condition would require her to postpone and cancel some concerts that had already been rescheduled due to COVID-19-related restrictions.
In May, all of her remaining concerts were officially canceled.
The National Institutes of Health defines stiff person syndrome as a “rare, progressive neurological disorder” that can cause muscle spasms. The condition can be so debilitating that some develop a hunched posture, eventually preventing them from walking or moving independently at all.
It affects roughly 1 out of every 1 million people and is twice as common in women than men. There is no cure.
Since announcing her diagnosis, Dion has kept a low profile and remained largely absent from social media. Her sister, Claudette Dion, offered a faintly optimistic update on her famous sibling’s health in August, telling Hello! Canada: “There’s little we can do to support her, to alleviate her pain. We’re crossing our fingers that researchers will find a remedy for this awful illness.”