Entertainment
February 17, 2023
By Kuldeep Rathore
Frontotemporal dementia that actor Bruce Willis has been diagnosed with was revealed by his family on Thursday in a group Instagram post.
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Over a year after Willis' family said the 67-year-old movie legend was retiring from acting due to an aphasia diagnosis, frontotemporal dementia, a brain illness brought on by frontal lobe atrophy, was officially diagnosed.
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"Our family wanted to start by expressing our deepest gratitude for the incredible outpouring of love, support and wonderful stories we have all received since sharing Bruce’s original diagnosis." said Emma Heming Willis,
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"Since we announced Bruce’s diagnosis of aphasia in spring 2022, Bruce’s condition has progressed and we now have a more specific diagnosis: frontotemporal dementia (known as FTD)."
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"While this is painful, it is a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis," the Instagram post states. It features a photo of Willis smiling on the beach and is signed by the "ladies of Willis/Moore. .
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FTD is a "cruel disease that many of us have never heard of and can strike anyone," the Willis family wrote in a separate statement. It is the most common form of dementia for people under 60 and "getting the diagnosis can take years."
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"Today there are no treatments for the disease, a reality that we hope can change in the years ahead," the statement said.
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"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."
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Moore, who is still friends with Willis and his wife, wrote an Instagram message in honor of Willis on his 65th birthday. "Happy birthday, Bruce! Thankful for our blended family," Moore wrote.
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Rumer, 34, Scout, 31, and Tallulah, 29, are the couple's three daughters; the actress and Willis split 20 years ago. Mabel, 10, and Evelyn, 8, are the couple's two children. Bruce and Emma Willis.
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Bruce Willis Suffers Frontotemporal Dementia
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