Legendary actor Bruce Willis was recently spotted for the first time since his family revealed that he had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) last month. The retired actor stepped out in Santa Monica on Thursday. FTD symptoms often arise in younger patients between the ages of 40 and 65, according to the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
In an interview published by the Bild newspaper, a person close to the actor claims that his symptoms have worsened. The symptoms first began to show up in Bruce Willis, as reported by the British newspaper Daily Mail, two years earlier.
During the filming sessions in which the actor was present, people present could already sense that something was not right. He had difficulty in holding conversations, coupled with not being able to connect words correctly.
Emma Heming Willis trying to aware people
Bruce’s wife, Emma Heming Willis is trying to raise awareness about her husband Bruce Willis’ diagnosis of the disease. Heming Willis chatted live on Instagram with Susan Dickinson, the CEO of The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration, on Monday, where she talked about looking for support following the actor’s diagnosis.
“I came [to you] with a need of community and you provided that,” Heming Willis said to Dickinson, adding that it’s become important to her “to be able to connect to other families that are on this journey.”
Heming Willis asked Dickinson why it often takes so long to get a diagnosis for the disease, with Dickinson telling her, “it’s a strange group of symptoms and there is no one way it starts.”
“Where can people on this journey go to be able to find support programs?” Heming Willis asked.
Dickinson explained the ways AFTD seeks to offer information by providing a helpline with professionals and regional resources. The site also is a homebase for the family’s statement about Willis as they work to raise awareness about FTD.
“We felt it was important to live on the site because there is so much information out there,” Heming Willis explained Monday.
She signed off telling Dickinson, “We are so grateful for the services you provide and how you have helped our family.”
“This journey can feel very dark and there is not a cure, so sometimes it feels like you’re just free falling,” she added.
