PHOENIX — Bruce Willis' family shared a big update on the actor's health, announcing his frontotemporal dementia, or FTD, diagnosis Thursday.
The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration said FTD represents a group of brain disorders caused by degeneration of the frontal and/or temporal lobes of the brain. The AFTD said it can affect anyone ages 21 to 80 years old, but most cases are diagnosed between 45 and 64 years old.
Symptoms include personality changes, apathy, struggles with decision-making, and difficulty speaking.
Willis' wife, Emma Hemings Willis, made the announcement on Instagram which got the attention of Wendy Knight.
"My husband has this horrible disease. You are in my thoughts and prayers. I lost him 10 months ago at age 57," she commented.
"I commend them for coming forward with it because they have the resources a lot of people don't," Knight said. "They could step back and quietly endure this, and instead she has, you know, made it known that she wants the world to know about it and it's just a game changer for all of us."
Knight said her husband Rob Knight was diagnosed with frontotemporal degeneration in 2019 at age 54. WFMY News 2's sister station in Phoenix did a story on Rob and Wendy Knight's family in 2020.
"He was such a hands-on dad and great husband and coach," Knight expressed. "Just to watch the deterioration. Devastating. I mean, beyond words."
FTD is known as the cruelest disease you've probably never heard of, and Knight hopes Bruce Willis' diagnosis will help raise awareness across the globe.
"People need to realize that this is a hideous disease and the families and even caretakers that are involved, it's just it's devastating," said Knight.
Right now, there is no cure or treatment for FTD. Rob Knight died on April 3, 2022.
"We donated his brain to Brain Support Network," Knight said. "He couldn't even talk at the end."
Now, hearing the news of Bruce Willis' diagnosis, she's keeping him and his family in her thoughts and prayers.
"We didn't know what was going on with my husband for years. Probably a good 10 years, and so our journey was really really rough as they all are. My heart just goes out to the Moores and the Willises for what they're enduring and are about to endure because it gets ugly," Knight added. "My takeaway from all of this with Bruce Willis is that people look at this disease and try and educate themselves, be aware it's out there."
Wendy Knight is a part of the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration, which Emma Heming Willis is also working with in light of her husband's diagnosis. You can learn more about FTD and how you can get involved in the community on AFTD's website.