National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke as a disorder with 'features' of an autoimmune disorder. 'The disease has this name that just doesn't do it justice.' 'It was this horrible feeling that she has this disease – because I know what that means to go through the initial stages of getting diagnosed – but so grateful for the awareness,' Zier told CTVNews.ca in an interview. Since the announcement, Tara Zier, the founder of the Stiff Person Syndrome Research Foundation, said the public's understanding of the condition has increased, resulting in hope for people dealing with SPS that more research and funding will follow. In the emotional video, Dion explains how the muscle spasms from SPS impact 'every aspect' of her life and hinder her ability to perform. It's been more than three months since Canadian singer Celine Dion announced she was diagnosed with stiff person syndrome (SPS).ĭion, 54, posted to Instagram at the time, saying she needed to cancel the rest of her world tour due to SPS, a rare neurological condition that has no cure.