'Even if I have to crawl,' Celine Dion promises the show will go on

Opening up about her struggles with stiff person syndrome during an interview with TODAY ’s Hoda Kotb , Celine Dion said that despite her health challenges, she is determined to return to performing.

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Despite having to cancel her 2022 tour after being diagnosed with stiff person syndrome — a rare, progressive neurological disorder that causes muscle rigidity, spasms, mobility issues, and shortness of breath -- which in Dion’ s case limits the five-time GRAMMY winner's control of her voice, Celine has not given up and still has intentions to get back on stage.

"I'm gonna go back onstage, even if I have to crawl. Even if I have to talk with my hands. I will. I will, I am Celine Dion,” the singer shared with Kotb. “Because today my voice will be heard for the first time, not just because I have to, or because I need to. It's because I want to. And I miss it.”

Dion went on to share that singing with SPS feels “like somebody’s strangling you,” and that she had “broken ribs at one point” as the result of spasms. “It’s been very difficult, very painful, challenging, scary.”

Dion first noticed symptoms in 2008, when she was on tour in Germany. She recalled feeling “panic” after being unable to reach certain pitches during rehearsals and, not wanting to “disappoint” her fans, at the time opting to sing in a lower register before ending the show early.

The singer eventually started treating her symptoms with prescription medications. “I did not know, honestly, that it could kill me,” she told Kotb. “I would take, like, for example, before a performance, 20 milligrams of Valium, and then just walking from my dressing room to backstage, [it] was gone already.” Revealing her growing tolerance eventually led her to take up to 90 mg per day.

Actively aiming to bring awareness to the disease, Dion often updates her fans about her health journey. In a now-deleted Instagram post she shared in March, Celine shed light on her struggles, as well as her intentions to once again do what she loves. “Trying to overcome this autoimmune disorder has been one of the hardest experiences of my life,” Celine expressed, “but I remain determined to one day get back onto the stage and to live as normal of a life as possible. I am deeply grateful for the love and support from my kids, family, team, and all of you!”

Celine's Story , a special event from TODAY ’s Hoda Kotb/NBC News, will be available to stream on Peacock starting Wednesday, June 12. Additionally, a documentary about Dion's life now, I Am: Celine Dion , arrives Tuesday, June 25, on Prime Video.