Nearly a year after Bruce Willis announced that Bruce Willis would step away from filmmaking following being diagnosed with aphasia, the American acto
Nearly a year after Bruce Willis announced that Bruce Willis would step away from filmmaking following being diagnosed with aphasia, the American actor’s family says his condition has worsened.
In a statement on Thursday, the 67-year-old’s family said Willis has received a more specific diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia (FTD).
The statement was posted on the website of the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration and signed by Willis’s wife, Emma Heming Willis, his ex-wife Demi Moore and his five children, Rumer, Scout, Tallulah, Mabel and Evelyn.
“While this is painful, it is a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis,” the statement read.
“FTD is a cruel disease that many of us have never heard of and can strike anyone.”
In March, Willis’s family said his aphasia had affected his cognitive abilities. The condition causes the loss of ability to understand or express speech.
In the statement, his family said communication challenges were just one symptom of frontotemporal dementia.
“There are no treatments for the disease, a reality that we hope can change in the years ahead,” the family’s statement read, adding that it can take years to get a proper diagnosis.
“As Bruce’s condition advances, we hope that any media attention can be focused on shining a light on this disease that needs far more awareness and research.”
Over a 40-year career, Willis’s movies earned more than $5bn at the worldwide box office.
