(Jamie Priest/ Cosmos) — After racking up more than 100 films over the span of four decades, Bruce Willis is closing out his stellar acting career. In a statement released by his family, his withdrawal from the spotlight has been attributed to a recent diagnosis with a condition called aphasia.
Never heard of aphasia before? You’re in good company. In a 2020 survey on aphasia awareness, 86.2% of participants had never heard of the condition. Of the few who did recognise the term, a third either had aphasia themselves or personally knew someone who did.
The disorder simply doesn’t have the broad recognition of Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy or multiple sclerosis.
And yet, aphasia is more common than any of these, affecting over a million Australians – and twice that number in the US.
So what is it? (…)