Bruce Willis has celebrated his 69th birthday as he continues his battle with frontotemporal dementia.
The Die Hard star has been suffering from the rare form of dementia for just over a year. sSnce his devastating diagnosis, there has been a huge effort by his family members - including wife Emma Heming Willis and daughter Tallulah Willis - to raise awareness for the disease. At the time of discovering he was unwell, there were early signs that were missed by Bruce and his family as they did not know what to look for.
Back in May 2023 Tallulah, wrote an Essay for Vogue where she discussed both his initial 2022 diagnosis with aphasia and his subsequent progression to a frontotemporal dementia diagnosis. Aphasia causes sufferers to experience impaired ability to speak, understand speech, and to read and write.
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Bruce has been battling his symptoms since 2022 (AFP via Getty Images)Meanwhile, frontotemporal dementia is typically diagnosed between the ages of 45 to 64 and is indicated by unusual behaviors, trouble managing emotions, and difficulty communicating and walking amongst an array of other symptoms. Tallulah previously admitted that looking back now, she sees that the symptoms Bruce was suffering are clear but at the time they just thought it was caused by "vague unresponsiveness" and "Hollywood hearing loss."
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She admitted "I’ve known that something was wrong for a long time," adding the family often urged each other other to "speak up! Die Hard messed with Dad’s ears." She then said how she misguidedly at times felt the cognitive decay was personal. She said: "Later that unresponsiveness broadened, and I sometimes took it personally."
Bruce's wife Emma has been campaigning to raise awareness (Getty Images)
Bruce has tragically rapidly deteriorated since his diagnosis (Getty Images for Film at Lincoln Center)The National Institute of Aging has defined a key list of signs and symptoms that you or a loved one could have dementia as opposed to normal aging - these include: Asking the same question repeatedly, having trouble following directions like recipes, getting lost in a place you know well, becoming increasingly more confused about time, places, and people, not taking care of yourself, including eating poorly, forgetting to bathe or shower, or acting in an unsafe manner.
Meanwhile, making a bad decision, missing a monthly payment, or losing something from time to time is normal, according to the NIA. But making poor decisions much of the time, having trouble taking care of your monthly bills, and misplacing things often (and being unable to find them) is not.
If you or a friend, family member or loved one is suffering from the signs it is important to contact a doctor for an expert diagnosis. Early diagnosis can be key to receiving breakthrough treatments and having ample time to get your affairs in order and wishes recorded before there is too much progression.
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