Family first spotted Hollywood star Bruce Willis was struggling with the language disorder known as aphasia before they had the heartbreaking news that his condition had progressed to frontotemporal dementia
Experts have revealed the early symptoms of the rare form of dementia suffered by Bruce Willis as his wife described heartbreaking details of her husband’s condition.
The veteran actor suffers from frontotemporal dementia, a rare type of the horrific disease, that causes particular problems with behaviour and language. It is the result of damage to neurons in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. Willis’ wife Emma Heming Willis, who married Bruce in 2009, spoke out on the TODAY Show to raise awareness of her husband’s condition amid World Frontotemporal Dementia Awareness Week. The actor stepped away from acting in March and his wife Emma has been his “care partner” ever since.
Dementia is usually associated with people over the age of 65 but frontotemporal dementia tends to start at a younger age. Most cases are diagnosed in people aged 45-65. Willis was diagnosed at 67. Like most forms of dementia, the frontotemporal variety tends to develop slowly and gradually gets worse. One of the saddest aspects of the disease is the misunderstandings about it.
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