Bruce Willis’ daughters are thankful for the outpouring of response they’ve received to the news that their father is suffering from frontotemporal dementia. “We feel the overwhelming love for our ‘guy’ and our family.”
“I feel emotionally tired and dazed, but also very impressed with how much love people have for my dad,” writes Scott LaRue (31) in her Instagram Stories. Her sister Talullah Belle (29) says she fully agrees. “We feel the overwhelming love for our ‘guy’ and our family.” The eldest sister, Rumer (34), joins them. “So very grateful for this, and for the love for us and our ‘daddio’.”
Willis has five daughters. He got Rumer, Scott and Talullah with actress Demi Moore (60), with whom he still has good contact. With the British / American model Emma Heming, whom Willis married in 2009, he had Mabel Ray ten years ago. Two years later, her sister Evelyn Penn was born.
Stars such as Selma Blair, Alyssa Milano and Bonnie Hunt also expressed sympathy for Willis and his family on social media. Paris Hilton and Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul shared messages expressing their condolences to Bruce and his family. “Your father is a legend,” Paul wrote to Rumer. Maria Shriver, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s ex-wife, took to Twitter. “It always helps when people share that they suffer from this disease. It’s terrible to get this news, but a diagnosis also offers answers.’ Her father died of Alzheimer’s disease. Since then she has spoken out a lot about the disease in the media to generate attention.
Cruel disease
On Thursday, the family announced in a joint statement that the situation of Willis, who caused a furore with blockbusters such as Die Hard and The Sixth Sense, had deteriorated after it became known last year that he suffered from the language disorder aphasia. As a result, he had to say goodbye to his acting career. Doctors have diagnosed the condition frontotemporal dementia (FTD), the family said: “A cruel disease that many people have probably never heard of.” Yet it can affect anyone. For people under 60, FTD is the most common form of dementia. And because it can take years to be diagnosed, FTD is probably much more common than we know.
The Alzheimer’s Foundation writes that the disease affects the frontal lobe, the part of the brain that we use to make choices, make plans and regulate our coordination. ‘We use the frontal lobe to test whether our (planned) behavior meets our norms and values. The temporal lobe also plays a role in our behavior, but is especially important for language and speech. In frontotemporal dementia, the brain cells in the frontal lobe die.’
No treatment
There is still no treatment, Willis’ family writes. They hope that it will come in the future and will therefore work to bring the disease to the attention of the media and to create awareness among the people. Bruce would have loved to play a part in that by seeking out the media and raising awareness. However, this is not possible due to his condition.
“Bruce has always found joy in life, and has helped everyone he knows to do the same,” his wife Emma, ex-wife Demi and children wrote in the statement Thursday. “It means the world to us to see his attitude to life reflected in the care you have for him and all of us. We are so moved by the love you have shared for our dear husband, father and friend during this difficult time. Your compassion, understanding and respect will enable us to help Bruce enjoy life to the fullest.”
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