UK charities are “hugely thankful” to Bruce Willis for publicly sharing his diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia, as it will help raise awareness of the condition.
In a post shared on Instagram on Thursday, his daughter Rumer offered an update on her father’s health following their announcement last year that he had been diagnosed with the cognitive condition aphasia. The charities said the announcement by the 67-year-old Hollywood actor’s family will help “shine a light” on the disease, also known as FTD, and “encourage others to seek advice."
Charities including Alzheimer’s Society and Dementia UK have thanked the actor for being open about the diagnosis.
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In a statement to the PA news agency, Alzheimer’s Society chief executive Kate Lee said: “We’re sending our thoughts to Bruce Willis and his family following their announcement that Bruce is living with frontotemporal dementia. Speaking publicly about his diagnosis will help so much to shine further light on the condition, for which we are hugely thankful.”
A spokesperson for Dementia UK said: “We’re sorry to hear that Bruce has been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia. By choosing to speak publicly about his diagnosis, more awareness can be raised about FTD and hopefully it will encourage others to seek advice if they are experiencing concerns about their brain health.”
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FTD is an umbrella term for a group of dementias that mainly affect the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain, which are responsible for such things as personality, behaviour, language and speech, according to Dementia UK. It is caused by an “abnormal build-up of proteins within the brain” which damages the cells, although the reason this occurs is not known.
Willis’s family expressed their “deepest gratitude” for the “outpouring of love” they had received since the announcement about his aphasia diagnosis. His daughter Rumer, who Willis shares with his former partner, actress Demi Moore, wrote: “Our family wanted to start by expressing our deepest gratitude for the incredible outpouring of love, support and wonderful stories we have all received since sharing Bruce’s original diagnosis.
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