“My boys and I had such a fun time visiting with the Montreal Canadiens after their hockey game,” Celine Dion posted on Instagram November 1, after a long absence from public life. For fans of the Canadian chanteuse, who was forced to cancel the remainder of her world tour following a diagnosis of Stiff Person Syndrome, it was a sign of hope.

“With the help of her family doctors, therapists and specialists, she seems to have things under control at the moment,” confides an insider, who admits the singer has “gone through hell” over the past year. “While she isn’t the person she was before her condition, she feels stronger now.” Celine still has a long way to go, but she’s trying to enjoy life again. “She doesn’t want to hide out at home any longer,” says the insider. “She has good days — even weeks — and she’s committed to sharing those times with her children.”