I know the Olympics aren’t over, but for me the ultimate gold medal has already been given out.
It did not go to any athlete in competition. It went to Celine Dion.
As the world watched breathlessly, she stood at the Eiffel Tower and sang her heart out.
I have no idea what words she was singing, as my high-school French has long since bid "au revoir" to my brain, but it didn’t matter. She sang. The world cried, or most of us did.
In case you have not yet watched the Prime documentary I am Celine Dion, it may not seem as quite the amazing feat as what it truly was.
To back up a bit, Celine announced about two years ago she is suffering from stiff person’s syndrome.
Wikipedia explains it as “a rare neurological disorder of unclear cause characterized by progressive muscular ridigity and stiffness. Chronic pain, impaired mobility, spasms and postural deformities.”
One in a million people are afflicted.
If you have any doubt it’s a real thing or how bad it is, again, watch the documentary. There’s not much glamour in it, but there is a whole lot of reality.
As she walked through her fabulous-looking mansion preparing for the day, getting her twins off to school and feeding the dog, I kept thinking that the stunning surroundings mean nothing.
Juxtaposed against a shot of a sparking swimming pool and lush landscaping there was just a pain-riddled, haggard-looking woman struggling to get to a chair.
It was not pretty.
Nor was the scene where she allows the cameras to roll as she is in a full-out seizure.
During the program, viewers see her trying to exercise, go the physical therapy and massage, take her drugs and prescribed treatments and try to sing.
Think about that.
The voice is a muscle, too. Celine is seen trying to stretch it and strengthen it and control it.
She sounds nothing like herself. The vocal range seems gone. It is weak and quiet.
She struggles to get through one song in the recording studio. Take after take.
Perfection (which she demands of herself) never comes. The powerhouse has essentially been silenced.
Still, she seems undeterred stating: “If I can’t run, I’ll walk. If I can’t walk, I’ll crawl. But I won’t stop.”
After two years off the touring circuit, Dion signed on for the opening ceremonies of the Paris Olympics.
Does that seem a little daunting for a comeback? Go big or go home, I guess.
But, there she stood, bathed in lights in a stunning white sparkling gown, makeup on point and hair pulled back. And she sang live with just a pianist.
So, the Olympic Games continue, with countries battling to show off their best and brightest athletes and bring home medals. We honour their commitment to excellence, their hours of training and practice to get to that podium.
But, this year, Canada gave you one of our best — a singer, but no less an athlete. Through blood, sweat and tears, she, too, earned a spot on the podium.
In Paris 2024, she stood in her own strength and let that magical voice soar as we all remembered it.
In that moment, she was golden. She is Celine Dion.
