This just in. Bruce Willis has just announced that he is leaving Hollywood for good after being diagnosed with Aphasia.
Aphasia is a debilitating medical condition that can have pretty awful effects on a person’s ability to do simple tasks like write, speak, or even understand language either written or verbal. It typically occurs after sustaining a head injury or having a stroke.
In a statement posted on Instagram by the 67-year-old actors family, they shared to Bruce’s supporters that he had been experiencing some problematic health issues in recent times and had received a diagnosis of Aphasia which already seems to be having an impact on his cognitive abilities.
The statement went on to confirm that Willis would be stepping away from the career that had “meant so very much to him”.
After dropping that bombshell, Willis’ family expressed that now is a very challenging time for their family and that they are very appreciative of Bruce’s fans’ continued support, compassion and love. Their shocking statement continued by saying that although Bruce and his loved ones are moving through this hardship as a family unit, they wanted to let his fans know about his condition because they know how much he means to them.
The post, which was signed by Willis’ wife Emma Heming, his ex-wife Demi Moore, and his five children, concluded by saying that Bruce’s family planned to ‘live it up’ throughout this life-upending ordeal.
Now, some of you might not be that familiar with Aphasia. We’ll be taking some time in this video to brush you up on what the diseases effects are, what kind of prognosis it’s sufferers are typically given, and potential treatments. We’ll also be discussing several other celebrities that have received an aphasia diagnosis.
Aphasia Explained
Aphasia is a condition that quite literally robs it’s sufferer from the ability to communicate. As we already mentioned, it can impact someone’s ability to speak, write and comprehend language.
While we noted that it often occurs after a head injury or stroke, it can also come on gradually brought on by a slow-growing tumor of the brain or as a side effect of another degenerative disease.
The severity of the condition depends on a handful of factors including what’s causing it and the extent of the damage to the sufferers brain. Sometimes people make a full or partial recovery, while other’s are left with permanent disabilities.
Symptoms of Aphasia include:
- Speaking in short, incomplete sentences
- Speaking sentences or phrases that make little sense
- Having to substitute words or sounds for others
- Speaking unrecognizable ‘nonsense’ words that only make sense to the speaker
- Having trouble understanding other people’s speech
- Writing sentences that appear meaningless
The Three Types Of Aphasia
Expressive Aphasia is a variant of the disease that involves a person’s inability to express themselves. They might be able to understand what other people are saying while struggling to convey their own thoughts
People with Comprehensive Aphasia may be able to speak fluently and easily but often do so in long, complex sentences that make little sense to the listener. They also tend to struggle with understanding language spoken by others.
With the third variety of the disease, Global Aphasia, the person has a hard time with both speaking and comprehending words and sentences. This variant is typically caused by extensive damage to the part of the brain that processes language. People with this kind of Aphasia often have severe disabilities when it comes to both expressing themselves and understanding others.
How Aphasia Is Treated
Once doctors are able to determine what’s causing the Aphasia, the primary way that they will attempt to treat the ailment is by implementing language and speech therapy.
The patient then will likely have to relearn various language skills while having to learn other ways to effectively communicate. The process can be long and arduous and requires the person with Aphasia’s family members to participate in the process while assisting the person to communicate.
Some people with Aphasia respond well to working in small groups. Any way that they can continue to practice their communication skills is helpful. This is precisely why family support is crucial to the person’s treatment.
Once spoken or written language becomes too difficult for someone with Aphasia, they may need to use hand gestures, pictures, drawing, or computer tools to express themselves. Late-stage Aphasia often leaves a person in a state where they can only point to let others know what they want or need.
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How Bruce Is Coping So Far
In recent months, Bruce Willis has been spotted frequently alongside his family. Two years ago, he first learned that he was battling with early on-set memory loss. Likely he is trying his best to make the most out of what little time he has left to enjoy unabated quality time with the ones he loves the most.
It’s also come to light that Willis recently sold his New York real estate holdings so that he can live with his wife and children full-time in Los Angeles.
Knowing that he’s fading quickly Emma and Willis’ ex-wife Demi Moore, with whom he shares children, have made a truce of sorts so that they can be there for Bruce during this challenging time.
Over the Holidays, Bruce spent time with Emma and their two daughters, Evelyn and Mabel, who are 6 and 8, respectively.
Bruce has three children with Moore, Rumer who’s 32, Scout who’s 29, and 26-year-old Tallulah. In April of 2020, Bruce posed with Moore and Scout while wearing matching PJs during the COVID lockdown.
Potential Causes Of Bruce’s Aphasia
At the moment, Willis’ family has yet to reveal the cause of his Aphasia, but it is known that he has sustained numerous on-set injuries throughout his career as an actor. In 2004, the star sued the folks behind his 2003 action flick ‘Tears of the Sun’ for injuries that occurred during it’s production.
The suit claimed that Willis had suffered extreme physical, mental and emotional pain. The incident in question happened roughly a year before the film hit theaters when Willis was struck by a projectile in his forehead after a pyrotechnic detonation went wrong.
Previously, Willis had lost 2/3 of his hearing after firing a machine gun loaded with excessively loud blanks on the set of his iconic film Die Hard.
While he is decisively leaving the film industry, Willis does have several projects that are currently in post-production including Fortress: Sniper’s Eye, White Elephant, and Vendetta. Bruce had signed on to star in a third installment of the Fortress films, but it’s unclear what will become of that given his recent announcement
Other Stars With Aphasia
Sharon Stone, best known for her memorable roles in Basic Instinct and Casino, was enjoying a thriving acting career when she collapsed at her home in September 2001 after having a brain aneurysm. She subsequently endured cerebral hemorrhaging that persisted for nine days.
After she had been discharged from the hospital, Stone found that she had lost the ability to read and had suddenly been stricken with speech issues, including a noticeable stutter. Her inability to memorize lines and read basically ended her acting career at the time.
Fortunately, with treatment and support from her family, friends, and fans, Stone was able to make a recovery and went on to land several film and television roles that have earned her much praise.
Grammy-winning country music star Randy Travis suffered a stroke in 2013 after being stricken with a disease called viral cardiomyopathy. He lost his ability to speak and comprehend language. Since being diagnosed with Aphasia, he has given few interviews, and his ability to communicate has been extremely limited.
Emilia Clarke is arguably best known for her breakout role as Daenerys Targaryen on Game of Thrones. In 2011, she suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage caused by a ruptured aneurysm. She had to undergo emergency surgery and subsequently suffered from Aphasia – at one point, she reportedly couldn’t even remember her own name. Sadly, she had another aneurysm which required surgical treatment in 2013. Fortunately, she has since recovered and continues to appear in films and television series such as the upcoming animated feature The Amazing Maurice and 2017s Animals.
Dick Clark, the iconic host of Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, The $10,000 Pyramid, and American Bandstand, suffered a major stroke in December of 2004. The stroke left him paralyzed on the right side of his body and with Aphasia.
After taking a year to recover, he returned to his post for the popular New Year’s Eve Celebration and continued to host the annual event until his death in 2012.
Michael Hayden is a retired four-star Air Force general and the former Director of the NSA under the George W. Bush and Bill Clinton administrations. He then served as the director of the CIA under the Bush and Obama administrations.
In 2018, he suffered a stroke just before Thanksgiving, which left him unable to read. He reportedly had the learn the entire alphabet over again from his four-year-old grandson.
Fortunately, Hayden retained his intelligence, but he has indeed lost the ability to read and write permanently. A few of his recent attempts at posting on Twitter have been indecipherable. For a man of his caliber, it must be incredibly frustrating to deal with his medical condition.
Hayden has continued to work with speech therapists, and it seems as if his efforts have paid off. Recently, he has made guest appearances on talk shows in which he has been able to clearly express his criticisms of former President Trump, systemic racism, and police brutality.
It’s our sincerest hope that Bruce Willis will be able to hold on to his ability to communicate and comprehend other people’s speech for as long as possible. Language, be it spoken or written, is something that most of us take for granted. It’s almost inconceivable to imagine what it must be like to suddenly lose something so vital and precious.
Keep Willis and his family in your thoughts and prayers. We’ll give you updates on his condition as soon as we learn anything new.
Do you have any experience dealing with anyone that has Aphasia? What would you say is the most important thing someone can do do to help someone that is suffering from this troubling condition? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
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