Bruce Willis Diagnosed With Aphasia

[Blondie in Spokane]

Bruce Willis announces he has been diagnosed with brain condition and will step away from acting | Daily Mail Online


Bruce Willis, 67, has been diagnosed with a brain condition that affects his ability to understand language and will be stepping away from acting, his family has announced.

In a statement posted to social media, his family said: 'To Bruce’s amazing supporters, as a family we wanted to share that our beloved Bruce has been experiencing some health issues and has recently been diagnosed with aphasia, which is impacting his cognitive abilities.

'As a result of this and with much consideration Bruce is stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him.'

 

[amandab]

What a shame - aphasia sounds absolutely awful

 

[fred&edna]

Very sad. I wonder how long he has been exhibiting symptoms.

 

[MimosaMornings]

Did he have a stroke recently?

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

What a shame - aphasia sounds absolutely awful

It sure does sound awful, doesn’t it? Here’s an update from DM with more info. It has to be so difficult for someone with such a tough guy image. I feel terrible for him but he has a very loving & supportive family surrounding him, thankfully. Dang.

Bruce Willis announces he has been diagnosed with brain condition and will step away from acting | Daily Mail Online

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

Expert reveals what aphasia feels like for suffers and says 35% develop depression | Daily Mail Online

'Imagine being dropped in a country where you don't speak the language - cannot understand, read, write or speak': Expert reveals what aphasia - the brain condition Bruce Willis was diagnosed with - feels like for sufferers and says 35% develop depression

 

[curiouser_]

Expert reveals what aphasia feels like for suffers and says 35% develop depression | Daily Mail Online

'Imagine being dropped in a country where you don't speak the language - cannot understand, read, write or speak': Expert reveals what aphasia - the brain condition Bruce Willis was diagnosed with - feels like for sufferers and says 35% develop depression

This is especially horrifying for me, because I have been diagnosed with a condition that in the not so distant future I will probably start showing signs of this. I question every single thing I do and say. If I can't "find" a word, I start to panic, leading to anxiety, which then causes me to freak out more. It's a never ending battle. I look at Bruce Willis and how active a life he has lived and it's just so jarring to think of him and his family having to go through this.

 

[SugarQueen]

Expert reveals what aphasia feels like for suffers and says 35% develop depression | Daily Mail Online

'Imagine being dropped in a country where you don't speak the language - cannot understand, read, write or speak': Expert reveals what aphasia - the brain condition Bruce Willis was diagnosed with - feels like for sufferers and says 35% develop depression

There are several types of aphasia. I haven’t seen it said what type of aphasia he has. ANY aphasia is awful but he may not have all of the issues in the quote above.
I was diagnosed last spring or summer. Mine is the result of being rear ended. My aphasia is a milder type but still incredibly frustrating. I can be in the middle of a sentence and suddenly not know a common word. It isn’t the same as having it on the tip of your tongue, it’s more like there is a black hole where the word should be. It might be hours or days later when the word finally comes to me. Sometimes I have issues with writing coherently. Cooking became a huge chore. Getting dinner on the table seemed to take forever.
My therapist said organization issues are common with it. With therapy things have improved a bit for me.
Hopefully Bruce doesn’t have one of the more severe forms.

 

[kadman]

Just today I caught up with my best mate and he was telling me how only two nights ago he was watching a reasonably recent Bruce Willis film with his wife when he mentioned to her, "Don't you think there's something weird going on with Bruce's speech?" and the next day he read about the aphasia story. He told me that apparently there's another 8 films yet to be released with Bruce in them and wondered how he would like in those. Sad to hear. Makes you think about your own health and mortality.

 

[SugarQueen]

Bruce was doing a heck of a lot of films from what I can see. That had to completely overwhelm him with his diagnosis. Now that he’s stepping back, and surely getting lots of therapy they may notice a fairly quick improvement in day to day life. Aphasia and the kind of schedule he had just won’t work. I’m guessing it was very hard for him to separate one film from the next. He most likely was aware there was a problem, and stressed about it. Stress would make it even harder for him.
I’m glad to see he is stepping back. Here’s hoping he improves quickly!

 

[Elley Mae]

Scary event led to Demi Moore, Bruce Willis' COVID-19 unity

PUBLISHED: April 22, 2020 at 8:10 a.m. | UPDATED: April 22, 2020 at 3:06 p.m.

Scout said that one of her young stepsisters had “never gotten a talk about not (expletive) with hypodermic needles.” According to Scout, the girl found some needles at a park and “she actually tried to poke her shoe with it and poked her foot.”

Scout said Heming had to stay in Los Angeles, waiting to get “test results,” presumably to find out whether the little girl had been exposed to anything from the needle.

“My dad came up here early and then travel got crazy and my stepmom stayed in L.A. with my little sisters,” Scout said.

…

It’s been reported that back in 2017 he was showing signs. I thought it a little odd that he was in Idaho with Demi while Emma took care of 2 young girls. I’m thinking he has been holed up at Demi’s to keep him out of public all this time.

Watched Die Hard last nite and it’s still a great movie.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Bruce Willis' aphasia diagnosis is a reminder people don't know what celebrities are going through, experts say (nbcnews.com)

Willis decided to halt his acting career of more than four decades after a recent diagnosis of aphasia, his family said.

Shortly after his family announced that the legendary actor Bruce Willis had been diagnosed with aphasia, filmmaker and actor Kevin Smith took to Twitter to share a career regret.

Smith, who had repeatedly criticized Willis, 67, while he was working on the 2010 film “Cop Out,” apologized for his harsh comments.

Willis “loved to act and sing and the loss of that has to be devastating for him,” Smith tweeted last week, adding that he felt bad for his "petty complaints from 2010. So sorry to BW and his family.”...

 

[wendybtn]

Aphasia is also one of the key symptoms that separate dementia from Alzheimer's. True Alzheimer's patients have a gradual loss of speech and eventually swallowing.

 

[Kavya01]

Aphasia is also one of the key symptoms that separate dementia from Alzheimer's. True Alzheimer's patients have a gradual loss of speech and eventually swallowing.

Indeed.

 

[sds71]

Bruce Willis diagnosed with dementia, family announces

Bruce Willis' aphasia has progressed to frontotemporal dementia, his wife said on Thursday.

www.goodmorningamerica.com

Bruce Willis Diagnosed With Dementia After Retiring Due to Aphasia

After Bruce Willis’ family announced in March 2022 that the actor had been diagnosed with aphasia and would retire from acting, his condition has now progressed into frontotemporal dementia. …

variety.com

 

[MusicalMonkey]

Does Aphasia lead to dementia? Or possibly misdiagnosed in the first instance?

There are so many cross over symptoms with these kinds of brain disorders that it can be difficult to know.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Bruce Willis' 'condition has progressed' to frontotemporal dementia, his family says

His family announced in March that Willis would be “stepping away” from his career after he was diagnosed with aphasia.

www.nbcnews.com

Actor Bruce Willis has frontotemporal dementia, his family said Thursday.

In a heartfelt statement, Willis' family, including ex-wife Demi Moore and daughter Rumer Willis, shared that his aphasia diagnosis, which the family announced in March, has progressed. Willis is 67.

"Unfortunately, challenges with communication are just one symptom of the disease Bruce faces. While this is painful, it is a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis," they wrote on Instagram posts, which were signed by the "Ladies of Willis/Moore" family...

 

[SugarQueen]

Does Aphasia lead to dementia? Or possibly misdiagnosed in the first instance?

There are so many cross over symptoms with these kinds of brain disorders that it can be difficult to know.

If I’ve understood it all correctly, aphasia is a symptom of Bruce’s dementia. The dementia was already there, just undiagnosed until now. Does that make sense?

 

[wendybtn]

Does Aphasia lead to dementia? Or possibly misdiagnosed in the first instance?

There are so many cross over symptoms with these kinds of brain disorders that it can be difficult to know.

Aphasia, without a stroke or a recent head injury, is a symptom of Alzheimer's disease.

 

[flute4peace]

I have mild aphasia due to a brain injury. My speech is halting - many times I can’t come up with the words I need, or will lose my train of thought altogether mid-sentence. As someone who used to take pride in my public speaking abilities, it’s incredibly frustrating. I wish Bruce well, it sounds like he has a difficult road ahead of him.