Bruce Willis retiring due to Aphasia

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Bruce Willis’ family has announced the actor is retiring from the profession after being diagnosed with aphasia, a language disorder caused by brain damage that affects a person’s ability to communicate. Willis’ family members posted a joint statement to social media announcing the actor’s retirement.

“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,” the statement reads. “As a result of this and with much consideration, Bruce is stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him.”

“This is a really challenging time for our family and we are so appreciative of your continued love, compassion and support,” the statement continues. “We are moving through this as a strong family unit, and wanted to bring his fans in because we know how much he means to you, as you do to him. As Bruce always says, ‘Live it up’ and together we plan to do just that.”

Aphasia "typically occurs suddenly after a stroke or a head injury," according to the Mayo Clinic, which states that the condition can also gradually occur "from a slow-growing brain tumor or a disease that causes progressive, permanent damage."

People with aphasia experience changes in their ability to communicate, the Mayo Clinic says, and they "may speak in short or incomplete sentences, speak in sentences that don't make sense, substitute one word for another or one sound for another, speak unrecognizable words, not understand other people's conversation or write sentences that don't make sense."

Aphasia can present differently in people depending on where they have experienced brain damage, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) states. Damage on the left side of the brain "may lead to language problems," while damage on the right side of the brain can cause poor attention or memory issues.

Wernicke's aphasia, which can result in people saying "long, complete sentences that have no meaning, adding unnecessary words and even creating made-up words," NIDCD states.

Broca's aphasia, which can make people "speak in short phrases that are produced with great effort" despite possibly being able to "understand speech and know what they want to say," per NIDCD.

Aphasia typically affects middle-aged or older people, but even young children can experience the condition, according to NIDCD.

People with aphasia can use speech-language therapy to improve their communication abilities. "Aphasia therapy aims to improve a person's ability to communicate by helping him or her to use remaining language abilities, restore language abilities as much as possible, and learn other ways of communicating," the NIDCD says.

what a horrible thing to happen to an actor.

It is horrible for anyone.

I'm sorry for Bruce, but I don't worship celebrities.
We are all just skunks people after all.

Wasn't Michael J. Fox much younger when he contracted Parkinson's disease?

Yes, he was. Rush Limbaugh ridiculed him for it on air.

i hope rush's limburger is melting on satan's grill now.

Bruce Willis has been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, his family said on Thursday, nearly a year after the "Die Hard" franchise star retired from acting due to aphasia that hampered his cognitive abilities.

“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)," his family said in a statement posted on The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration website.

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."

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," the statement said.

Frontotemporal degeneration is caused by progressive nerve cell loss in the brain's frontal lobes or its temporal lobes.

Bruce Willis’ ex-wife Demi Moore revealed Thursday on Instagram that the retired actor has been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia.

While Moore did not go into the specifics of Willis’ case, Dr. Allison B. Reiss of the NYU Long Island School of Medicine helped The Post better understand this under-researched disease.

What is frontotemporal dementia?
“FTD is actually a group of brain disorders that cause progressive degeneration of the neurons in the brain and, as the name suggests, affects primarily the frontal and temporal areas of the brain,” Reiss told The Post in an email. “It has a relatively young age of onset, most diagnosed between the ages of 45 and 64 years.”

The condition is diagnosed using a combination of brain scans and the doctor’s thorough research into their patient’s medical history, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.

What are the symptoms of FTD?
People with FTD have relatively fewer memory problems compared to other forms of dementia, Reiss wrote. However, like other dementia-related diseases, they could exhibit emotional outbursts, poor manners and excessive familiarity with strangers, or go on to have muscular dysfunction.

Reiss said symptoms of FTD differ depending on the type.

Symptoms of bvFTD include “changes in behavior, deterioration of personality, executive and social cognition. Also social disinhibition, apathy, reduced sympathy and empathy, poor judgment, altered food preferences, and repetitive behavior.”

Those with the semantic variant, PPA, have a hard time with naming and listening comprehension skills. Some may take a lot of effort to speak and do not speak fluently. They can use poor grammar and have a difficult time comprehending complex sentences. “Over time, they lose the meaning of words and lose the ability to remember what a familiar object is or how to use it. They may substitute close words or replace a word they have lost with ‘that thing’ or ‘the you know,'” Reiss explained.

Those with PPA may, too, go on to show “at least some” of the behavioral problems seen in bvFTD.

In the later stages of the disease, patients may experience muscle rigidity and weakness, poor balance, trouble swallowing and twitches. Some may go on to develop symptoms much like that of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, and lose the ability to move their muscles. Those with advanced FTD are unable to care for themselves, and will eventually become wheelchair-bound or bedridden.

What causes FTD?
The cause of FTD is unknown in most cases, according to the National Institute of Aging. However, the Alzheimer’s Association estimates that a third of all cases are inherited.

“This is unknown except in some rare inherited cases related to specific gene
mutations. More research is needed,” Reiss told The Post.

Can it be treated?
FTD cannot be cured, but there are therapies and drug treatments to improve the patient’s quality of life — to reduce the agitation, irritability and depression that come with a terminal disease, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.

Unfortunately, there are no specific medications to help stave off the physiological damage caused by FTD and its subtypes.

How is it different from aphasia?
Aphasia refers to “difficulty speaking, usually because of damage to specific areas of the brain,” and can be associated with diseases other than FTD, Reiss clarified. “It has numerous causes,” she continued, including stroke, head trauma or infection. Aphasia itself does not spell the “inevitable loss of functioning and ability to care for oneself” — but its underlying causes might.

How is it different from Alzheimer’s?
People with early Alzheimer’s will experience more prominent memory loss than someone with FTD, whereas FTD causes more behavioral and language changes, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. However, people with advanced FTD can experience memory loss on top of those effects later on.

Alzheimer’s is usually diagnosed in older patients whereas people with FTD are usually diagnosed between their 40s and early 60s.

Someone with Alzheimer’s is also more likely to, for example, forget where they are, struggle to find the word they’re looking for or forget a name. Meanwhile, someone with FTD will be ineffective at forming logical statements, understanding others in conversation and reading, according to the organization.

Patients may also go on to be diagnosed with both FTD and Alzheimer’s, as well as other forms of dementia.

“FTD and Alzheimer’s all end similarly with language and behavior profoundly affected and memory dramatically reduced as well,” Reiss added. “Twenty-four-hour care may be necessary. Death may occur as a result of infections such as pneumonia.”

Yes, he was. Rush Limbaugh ridiculed him for it on air.

I'm sure he is.

But, but, but, the pope said there was no hell? How fortunate for Stalin.

an intelligent person would not discount the possibility of an "undiscovered country, from whose bourn no traveler returns..." there is also the experience of the Rev. Howard Storm, who had an OOBE that was decidedly hellish.