In 1967, in Canada, a woman found out she was pregnant again. It was her 14th pregnancy.
There were already 13 children at home
She didn’t know how to go on. Raising another child felt impossible at that moment. In despair, she turned to a priest for help. In her hopelessness, she even thought about abortion.
The conversation didn’t solve the family’s financial problems or their real situation. But it helped clarify things. She decided to continue the pregnancy.
On March 30, 1968, a baby girl was born. She was the youngest of 14 siblings. She didn’t have a crib, so she slept in an improvised box.
The family lived in cramped conditions. The parents worked in a small pub. Money was scarce, and the work was exhausting. The new pregnancy caused concern.
Her childhood was simple. She wore hand-me-down clothes from her brothers and sisters. The house was full of people. Little comfort.
At the age of 5, she performed in public for the first time. Her voice immediately caught attention. For a child, it was extraordinary.
At 12, her mother wrote a song for her. The recording was sent to a music producer. When he heard her voice, he couldn’t believe it belonged to a child. Convinced of her talent, he mortgaged his own house to finance her first album.
Years later, the whole world would hear “The Power of Love.” Over 200 million records have been sold worldwide. That mother was Thérèse Dion.
And the child who slept in a box was Céline Dion.
