Bruce Willis to step away from acting after aphasia diagnosis
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info
The Hollywood star announced that he was stepping away from acting after being diagnosed with aphasia – a condition that affects his cognitive abilities. According to the Mayo Clinic, aphasia is “a condition that robs you of the ability to communicate” and can be caused by a stroke, head injury, brain tumour or a disease. In the statement that was posted to social media announcement back in March 2022, Willis’ family did not reveal how specifically how the condition is affecting Willis, but it is thought that he is having trouble reading, listening, speaking, typing and writing, making acting near impossible.
In a rare glimpse into how the actor is coping, Heming Willis took to her social media account showing the star throwing a basketball straight into the hoop after being thrown it by another person.
Captioned “I see you BeeDub”. Hemming Willis has been keen on keeping fans up to date on her husband’s health.
The model has also not shied away from revealing how the star’s condition has affected her own health, especially mentally.
In a recent interview, she explained that she often puts the needs of her family above her own. She shared: “That amount of care for everyone else within my household had taken a toll on my mental health and overall health, and it served no one in my family.”
An insider revealed that the family as a whole, which includes Willis’ ex-wife actress Demi Moore and their three adult daughters Rumer, Scout and Tallulah have rallied round to support each other.
The source revealed: “Emma is especially grateful for the daughters she shares with Bruce,” noting that the family celebrated Mabel’s tenth birthday two days after announcing this sudden retirement.
“Everyone is focused on all the happy moments they are able to share,” they added.
“[His family is focused on] doing whatever they can [to support him]. They have rallied around him in a big way to help Bruce cope with what is to come.
“As someone facing health challenges, Bruce couldn’t be part of a better family. It’s been shocking. And it’s not easy seeing a spouse decline. But she’s trying to keep it together for him.”
In order to make sure her own health is in check, Heming Willis added that she is focusing on her “basic needs” in order to find a balance in her life. One of these basic needs is exercise.
It is important to note that Willis’ condition does not tend to affect his ability to think or makes him less smart. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) explains that it is brain damage along with aphasia that can cause more severe problems.
However, as individuals struggle with speaking, the muscles in the mouth become weaker. This can lead to a condition known as dysarthria. Having trouble swallowing and finding it tricky to move your mouth in the right way to say words are also common symptoms.
Although it remains unknown what caused Willis’ aphasia, the most common cause is a stroke. This is what the Stroke Association refers to as a “brain attack” and occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off.
Because the brain controls everything the body does, a stroke will affect the way your
body functions. For example, if a stroke damages the part of your brain that controls
your right leg, then you may have weakness or numbness in that leg. Your brain also controls how you think, learn, feel and communicate.
There are two main types of stroke. The most common type of stroke (about 85 percent of cases)
is caused by a blockage. This is called an ischaemic stroke. Less commonly, (about 15 percent of cases) strokes are caused by bleeding in or around the brain. This type of stroke is called a haemorrhagic stroke.
If an individual has not suffered from stroke, aphasia can also be triggered by a traumatic brain injury, brain tumour or brain disorder that gets worse over time.
If you or someone close to you might think they are suffering from aphasia, it is recommended that they seek medical advice. Here they will be able to do multiple tests and determine if there is a medical cause for the problem.
Aphasia is often classified as “expressive” or “receptive”, depending on whether there are difficulties with understanding or expressing language, or both. Once diagnosed, treatment for aphasia mainly involves therapy to work on language and speech.
Therapy can be done on an individual basis or in a group, but the NHS explains that it is important to start using the assistance of therapists as early as possible after being diagnosed or noticing symptoms.
If the aphasia is caused by a one-off event, like a stroke, most patients recover to some degree with therapy. There’s no evidence to suggest that recovery stops at a specific time after stroke. The chance of recovery is poorer for people with aphasia resulting from a progressive neurological condition.
Source: Read Full Article