(TheRedAlertNews.com) – Bruce Willis has been issued a new “cruel” diagnosis almost a year after he disclosed that he was battling aphasia, his family announced.
In a lengthy statement on Thursday, the Hollywood actor’s family revealed that he had now been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD).
67-year-old Willis retired from acting in March 2022 due to aphasia, a brain disorder affecting speech and communication.
The statement of the “Die Hard” star’s family was published on the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration website. It was signed by his ex-wife, Demi Moore, his current wife, Emma Heming, and his five daughters.
“While this is painful, it is a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis,” the family stated.
“FTD is a cruel disease that many of us have never heard of and can strike anyone. For people under 60, FTD is the most common form of dementia, and because getting the diagnosis can take years, FTD is likely much more prevalent than we know,” they added.
“Today there are no treatments for the disease, a reality that we hope can change in the years ahead. 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 actor’s family added.
They insisted that if Bruce Willis “could” respond to his situation, he would be seeking to bring “global attention and connectedness” to others with the “debilitating disease.”
“Bruce has always found joy in life — and has helped everyone he knows to do the same. It has meant the world to see that sense of care echoed back to him and to all of us,” the statement concluded.
“We have been so moved by the love you have all shared for our dear husband, father, and friend during this difficult time. Your continued compassion, understanding, and respect will enable us to help Bruce live as full a life as possible,” Willis’ family added.
According to the Mayo Clinic, Willis’ earlier diagnosis with aphasia indicated he would have difficulty speaking, writing, and understanding language.
The star from “Armageddon” and “The Whole Nine Yards” still kept appearing in public.
Several months after his aphasia diagnosis, his wife, Emma Heming, 44, revealed she was struggling with “paralyzing grief” about Willis’ condition.
“I’m learning how to live alongside it,” she wrote in a social media post.
“Grief is the deepest and purest form of love. I hope you find some comfort in that too,” she added, sharing the words of the actor’s 31-year-old daughter Scout.
Scout, 34-year-old Rumer, presently pregnant with her first child, and 29-year-old Tallulah are Willis’ daughters from his marriage with Demi Moore.
He and Heming married in 2009 and have two daughters – Evelyn, 8, and Mabel, 10.
