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Stutter that ‘propelled’ Bruce Willis into acting also masked his dementia, his wife says

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Stutter that 'propelled' Bruce Willis into acting also masked his dementia, his wife says

As a devoted follower who has closely observed Bruce Willis‘ career and personal life, I must say that his journey has been both heartbreaking and enlightening. The revelation of his battle with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) was a shock to many, but as someone who has known about his long-standing struggle with a stutter, it wasn’t entirely unexpected.

In my perspective as a film critic, it was evident that Bruce Willis’ acting prowess started to wane several years prior to his aphasia diagnosis. However, a health issue he’d been dealing with since childhood, which I had the privilege of observing, seemed to assuage my wife Emma Heming Willis’ worries about his condition.

2022 saw the announcement from Willis’ family that he would be retiring from acting following a diagnosis of a cognitive disorder. The following year, they disclosed a more detailed diagnosis: Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD), which is experienced by around 50,000 to 60,000 Americans. Characterized by a gradual and persistent decline in behavior, speech, and work abilities, this condition affects various aspects of daily functioning.

As a devoted admirer, let me share a fascinating tidbit about Bruce, a story I learned from an interview he gave to Town and Country that was published recently. You see, for Bruce, the journey began with language, and this is how it unfolded: In his youth, there were subtle transformations in his speech, changes that didn’t raise any red flags at first because he had been grappling with a severe stutter throughout his teenage years.

Bruce has been adept at concealing his stutter throughout his life. However, as his speech evolved, it appeared to simply be part of his stutter rather than anything else; it was just Bruce, he explained. He never imagined that this could be a type of dementia affecting someone so young.

According to “Bruce Willis: The Unauthorized Biography,” written in 1997, Bruce Willis mentioned that he had difficulty speaking fluently, often requiring up to three minutes to finish a sentence. However, when he transformed into another character for a play, his stutter miraculously disappeared.

That discovery served as a catalyst, propelling him towards his acting career. As it was in 2016 when she presented her husband with an accolade from the American Institute for Stuttering, Heming Willis shared this with Town & Country.

At the age of 67, Willis was diagnosed two years ago, and as his ex-wife Demi Moore shared recently, he is currently maintaining a steady course in his fight against the disease. Individuals with Frontotemporal Degeneration (FTD) can live for extended periods with this condition, but unfortunately, there is no known cure. Those affected may experience an elevated risk of falls, infections, and diseases like pneumonia, which can prove to be fatal, as stated by Johns Hopkins Medicine.

60-year-old TV host Wendy Williams, who stopped airing shows in 2022, was diagnosed this year with aphasia and Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD). A Lifetime documentary series titled “Where Is Wendy Williams?” follows her condition truthfully, according to Mark Ford, the show’s executive producer, as he shared in February.

Heming Willis has stated openly to Town & Country magazine that she’s never attempted to make light or soften the reality of Willis’ health situation for their two daughters, who are ten and twelve years old.

She shared with us that when kids pose questions, it means they’re prepared to learn the response, as she explained. Although the children may not grasp every nuance, they are aware that their father won’t recover from his condition.

With assistance from her three eldest children, whom she shares with Moore, Heming Willis stated that she tirelessly works to increase understanding about Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD). Previously, she had supported New York State Senator Michelle Hinchey – whose father suffered from primary progressive aphasia frontotemporal dementia – in establishing an FTD registry. This was done so that when anyone in the state of New York is diagnosed with FTD, their diagnosis would be recorded.

She’s also working on a book for caregivers, which she first announced in February.

The advocate for Frontotemporal Degeneration emphasized that caring for a loved one isn’t only about their wellbeing; it also involves taking care of oneself during the process. They explained that numerous experts and professionals who have supported them have consistently advised, “You cannot effectively support your loved one if you are not supporting yourself first.

Heming Willis referred to the unnamed piece as “the book I wished I’d received upon receiving the FTD diagnosis.

She expressed, “It would have been comforting if someone had told me, ‘Though this is painful and overwhelming, you will get through it,’.

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2024-10-30 00:02

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