Doctor breaks down challenges Bruce Willis could face with diagnosis of FTD

The family of Bruce Willis has announced that the actor is suffering from a form of dementia called frontotemporal dementia, or FTD for short. Dr. Jonathan Reiner joins CNN Tonight and discusses the condition. #CNN #News

40 comments

  1. Not big on celebrity worship but this Bruce Willis news hitting hard. Grew up watching him as this invincible action hero, it’s heartbreaking to hear about what he’s going through.

    1. I agree. I am not a celebrity slobbering idiot. I could care less but I also grew up warxhing this man and you never wanna see this for anyone .., ever. Ashame

    2. ​@Dan Gittens You are mistaken. Bruce Willis wasn’t a Trump supporter. It’s that Angelina Jolie’s not so smart father who supports Trump.

  2. It’s not just the patient that suffers from this disease but also the people around the patient , my father in law died in 2021 from this disease after suffering from it beginning in 2007 … he became aggressive and displayed strange behavior..

    1. @marcus. We evaluate this as such : Willis has a personal medical difficulty ( that others can suffer from ) , and his neighborhood isn’t directly affected . And CNN memory holes the Ohio chemical spill ? They think we are dunces . we aren’t.. are we ?

  3. This is very sad and unfortunate for Bruce Willis going senile at a young age, I have scene first hand what it does to a person and it’s a terrible way to go.

    1. @M Hall Biden is just simply old, there’s no indication that he has dementia and what we’re seeing is just simply ordinary age-related decline.

  4. My first Willis movie I watched was The Fifth Element,makes me sad to see anyone have to go thru mental decline in such a way

  5. He had a good life. We should all be so lucky. He has family and hundreds of millions of dollars to help with his care. It’s sad but it’s the circle of life. The people with no one and no resources…. Those are the true sad stories.

  6. My uncle was diagnosed at 60, most likely late (“oh, he is just depressed”). Died 6 years later.
    Terrible disease.

  7. We pray for his family. We pray, if the time arrives that he needs a care facility, that no family member feels guilt for that decision.

    We understand that part, sadly, from experience.

  8. I’m so very sorry to hear this. My sister began forgetting things and acting a bit strange. She was diagnosed with ‘dementia’ but they never actually said what kind. My husband and I were her caregivers for as long as possible and during that time I did a lot of research about the different kinds and we both felt that “Frontotemporal” was likely what she had. So many of the symptoms and behaviors she exhibited. She went from fine one day to gone in four years. It was fast moving for her. It was awful to me; we were very close as sisters, her being 5 years older. She was always my protector. It was horrific and I feel very bad for the Willis family because my husband and I know EXACTLY what they’re dealing with.

    1. It’s sad to lose your sister like that. I’m so sorry. No doubt you gave her the best care she was surrounded by lots of love. I send you hugs.

  9. Dementia is so awful, regardless of its cause. My mother had Alzheimer’s and the dementia that goes along with it. Bruce’s family is doing the compassionate thing by being there for him. My heart goes out to Burce, his family, friends, and fans. Make every effort to be around him the best way you can.

  10. So sad for Bruce Willis as well as his family. There are overwhelming challenges ahead for them. I pray God gives them the fortitude to support Bruce. It is very difficult to care for these patients. However, with Love and compassion they can get through this. Praying for this family.🙏

  11. So sad to hear Bruce has this challenging disease, I sincerely hope that he and his family can find away to support each other through this trying time. Bruce is a good human being and it seems so unfair anyone has to go through this. We need a cure!

  12. Regardless of our color, race, language or “status” on this planet, we are all Human.

    The so called “status” doesn’t make his troubles any worse than anyone’s or their family members.

    I’ve always enjoyed Bruce Willis acting.

  13. Many times doctors don’t know what causes frontotemporal dementia. Sometimes it’s genetics or it could actually be a virus that attacks the brain. Our 27-year-old daughter was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia over two years ago. She recently started saying words again after being nonverbal for a few months. We found out she actually had brain inflammation from a virus and it caused an autoimmune response. For those who are told they or a loved one has frontotemporal dementia, please get a second opinion and a lumbar puncture to make sure it’s not a virus or an autoimmune response from an ovarian teratoma. And never give up hope. There could be a cure right around the corner because medical science is advancing quickly. Praying for comfort and strength for Bruce and his family and all of those who are diagnosed with that terrible disease.

  14. My mother had FTD. After diagnosis, we did a lot of research and worked closely with her neurologist to determine that she may have been experiencing symptoms since age 55. We wouldn’t have known at the time because we had no family history. We simply attributed her behavior to change of life. Her care was very expensive and very difficult for my family. We struggled to find resources to help keep her at home and keep her care affordable. We went through many concoctions of medications to control her behavior and lessen her anxiety. This disease is horrible and takes a toll on caregivers and on finances. There should be more resources available because the probability of dementia is increasing.

    1. @Switch Deck I _think_ they meant more prevalent, as large demographics of the population (ex:boomers, gen x) ages.

  15. Man this sucks to hear. I’m 61 and have been dealing with chronic pain for years. I’d rather have that, lose my mobility, sense of sight or smell, then lose my intellect. Thankfully, it is not in my family, but I saw my step-grandfather go through Alzheimer’s at a relatively young age and it was awful. He had been a brilliant, sharp-witted guy who by the time he was 70’s was reduced to baby-talk.

    Bruce is only 67 and also a brilliant sharp-witted guy. We’ve seen it for years. What a gut punch. At least he is blessed by a loving family and still-loving ex-wife. God bless all of them.

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