Florida Woman Shares How Car Crash Triggered Her Stiff Person Syndrome—The Same Disease Celine Dion Is Fighting

Jomana Houssari, a 31-year-old woman who lives in Florida, shares her perspective on her diagnosis of stiff person syndrome (SPS) — a rare autoimmune neurological disorder that also affects renowned artist Celine Dion. Despite a history of health issues, Houssari believes a traumatic car accident might have triggered the onset of this debilitating syndrome.

Houssari revealed that the first sign and symptom she experienced was difficulty moving around. “Suddenly, I couldn’t move my legs,” she admitted. “A few minutes later, I was able to function again, but I kept getting cramps in my legs.”

Jomana Houssari has had health challenges since birth

Houssari’s health journey started with early adversities, being born at a mere 2lbs 9oz and undergoing hernia surgery as a newborn. Despite these initial challenges, her health hurdles continued to unfold as she battled a series of autoimmune and neurological disorders in her later life.

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In an interview with Dailymail, Houssari disclosed that her stiff person syndrome symptoms started after she underwent surgery to repair the damage she suffered in a severe car accident. The aspiring police officer, who couldn’t pursue her dream because of the musculoskeletal disorder, added that she was first wrongly diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome — an autoimmune nerve degeneration disorder.

Jomana Houssari says her Stiff Person Syndrome diagnosis was a relief for her

She noted that she suspected she had SPS after her research about the condition, which led to a series of tests by her physician, who had never heard of such an ailment before. However, she noted that it took a long time to get the right diagnosis, but it was comforting to know.

“It was a month-long wait for the results, but it was finally confirmed that I did indeed have SPS,” Houssari explained to the news outlet. “Getting the diagnosis was a relief, but thinking about the future is quite scary.”

This now raises the question—could Celine Dion have gone through something similar that ultimately triggered her stiff person syndrome disorder?