Hollywood luminary Bruce Willis is now stepping into a role no scriptwriter could have for him. The real-life struggle with Frontotemporal Dementia.

FTD is considered a distant cousin of Alzheimer’s—it’s its own monster. It targets specific brain areas, your frontal and temporal lobes. And then what?

Your personality can flip. Your speech?

Three types of FTD make the scene. Each one’s a different brand of trouble:

For example, Routine tasks, like walking or holding something, that were once effortless. After that, it can become an almost impossible challenge. And trust me, you’ll want all the help you can get.

Bruce Willis Medical Mystery

Bruce’s latest script doesn’t cover car chases or love triangles.

Behavioral Variant Frontotemporal Dementia (bvFTD):

First up is bvFTD, or Behavioral Variant Frontotemporal Dementia. This one’s a flipper personality. If you’ve ever seen a loved one act out of character all of a sudden, bvFTD could be the cause.

Meanwhile, this condition can make someone you care about act impulsive. You feel withdrawn or even display unkind behavior. Essentially, it can make them seem like a completely different person. That’s why it can be hard to understand and cope with.

Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA)

Next, let’s talk about PPA or Primary Progressive Aphasia. This one attacks your ability to speak and understand language. Such as you’re having a thought but struggling to find the words to express it. Words that used to be familiar become difficult to grasp.