Recently, the announcement that actor Bruce Willis got diagnosed with aphasia disheartened millions of fans. The actor and his family are stepping away from the film industry to face the real struggle for Bruce’s health.
“As a family, we wanted to share that our beloved Bruce has been experiencing some health issues and has recently been diagnosed with aphasia, which is impacting his cognitive abilities,” read a note posted on Bruce’s daughter Rumer Willis’ Instagram account, signed by other family members.
What Is Aphasia?
According to the National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders, “Aphasia is a mental disability that is followed by damage to portions of the brain. It interferes with the ability of a person to produce and understand speech as well as the ability to read and write.” In short, it affects the comprehension and communication skills of a person. There are at least 2 million people in the United States who are suffering from this disorder.
Aphasia can develop suddenly as well as gradually in a person. Almost 40% of stroke survivors suffer from aphasia. So, that makes stroke the most common cause of the disease. Other than stroke, head injury or gunshot wound can cause aphasia as well as brain tumors, infections or a progressive neurological disease can also lead to it. The symptoms include speaking short or incomplete sentences and speaking non-sensical and unrecognizable words. The person having aphasia does not understand the conversation of other people and substitutes one word for another.
There are mainly three types of aphasia. Firstly, Expressive or Broca’s Aphasia. In this type, people struggle to get words out. The sufferers are well aware of their difficulty and stay frustrated. Whereas people affected with Comprehensive or Wernicke’s Aphasia can speak long and complex sentences that don’t make any sense. And, Global Aphasia is a severe disability in which a person develops symptoms related to both expression and comprehension. Mostly an MRI or CT scan confirms the disease.
Although there is no proper treatment for it, still, depending on the extent and causes of the brain injury, speech-language therapy can work. Support from family and friends is the key to improving the ability to communicate with the patients.
What Does The Diagnosis Mean For Bruce Willis?
The 67 years old actor, Bruce Willis, is currently battling this disease. This disorder has cost him his acting career as he has now gone on a break from acting. His family members have announced him facing problems in speaking and comprehending words. His recent diagnosis is creating cognitive issues in his life due to partial brain damage. There has been no announcement regarding which type of aphasia Bruce is suffering from so far.
The disease is unpredictable. Doctors simply can’t predict with certainty how long a patient will live. Normally, mild aphasia does not affect longevity, but at a severe stage, the life expectancy is very less due to the disease. This disorder causes brain cell death that can lead to severe paralysis and brain death.
Will this damage be life-threatening for Bruce? Only time will reveal. His fans are certainly hoping and praying for his recovery.
