“This was a very good day, but I know she has good days and not so good days,” Chantal Machabée, a representative for the hockey franchise Montreal Canadiens, said to PEOPLE. Céline Dion performed a surprising act at her first public appearance in three and a half years: she sang. The 55-year-old singer of “My Heart Will Go On” appeared “so happy” when she left her house to watch the Vegas Golden Knights take on the Montreal Canadiens last week. Chantal Machabée, the Canadiens’ vice president of hockey communications, tells PEOPLE. Dion disclosed last year that she was diagnosed with the crippling stiff-person syndrome. “She’s been through a lot, and to see her like this and smiling and being so happy…it’s amazing,” Machabée said. “I know she has good days and not so good days, but this was a very good day, and it was reassuring.” The music icon conversed, laughed, and even sang “a few notes” during the outing, according to Machabée. “It was an amazing moment,” she continues. She is an incredible woman.” On October 30, Dion welcomed her home team to the locker room at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. She was observed handshakes with teammates and photo ops with her boys, René-Charles, 22, and the 13-year-old twins, Eddy and Nelson. Following Dion’s visit with the team, Machabeée posted pictures of herself on Instagram with the “I’m Alive” singer wrapped around her arm.
“Yesterday, we enjoyed a wonderful excursion to the game in Vegas. I appreciate @celinedion’s kindness. “Meeting you and your family has made the whole team very happy,” she wrote in French next to the pictures. According to the Stiff Person Syndrome Foundation, Dion disclosed late last year that she was given a diagnosis of stiff-person syndrome, an uncommon and terminal neurological condition that affects the central nervous system, particularly the brain and spinal cord, and can produce crippling muscle spasms. Per the foundation, “Patients can be disabled, bedridden or wheelchair-bound, unable to work and care for themselves.” Symptoms of the neurological disease with autoimmune features can include muscle spasms “so violent they can dislocate joints and even break bones,” as well as “hyper-rigidity, debilitating pain, chronic anxiety.” Get the best of PEOPLE, from captivating human interest stories to juicy celebrity news, by subscribing to their free daily newsletter. Don’t miss a story. Following the cancellation of her tour dates through April 2024, an insider told PEOPLE in May that Dion was “doing everything she can” to be well enough to perform live again. The insider stated, “It’s heartbreaking that she had to cancel touring, but the disease is interfering with her daily life with mobility and other issues.” They went on, “She wants to perform, so she is working with doctors and doing everything she can.” She’s not given up in the slightest. She hopes to manage every aspect of this illness so she can resume singing.”
