These Stars Have Opened About Their Journey With Aphasia

Aphasia makes it hard to communicate, affecting both talking and writing. It can happen after a stroke, head injury, or due to conditions like Alzheimer's. How much it affects someone depends on the damage to their brain. People with aphasia may struggle to speak, understand conversations or write clear sentences.

Here are some famous celebs who have dealt with aphasia, each with their own story of overcoming challenges.

Country singer Randy Travis had a stroke in 2013, which significantly affected his ability to speak and understand language. Travis shared this in his memoir, 'Forever and Ever, Amen: A Memoir of Music, Faith, and Braving the Storms of Life,' published in 2019.

After his stroke, Randy Travis had difficulty speaking. Although he could understand Mary (his wife), he couldn't respond properly. When they returned home, his speech was severely impaired. It took three months of therapy for him to say even a single letter, and after about a year and a half, he could only manage simple words like "yup" and "nope." Despite some improvement, he still felt trapped by his limited ability to communicate.

Sharon Stone had a brain aneurysm in 2001, just like Bruce Willis. It affected her ability to read and speak, causing a stutter and stopping her from reading for two years.

Sharon Stone said, "I've become more emotionally aware and stronger by working on my mindset. I'm more direct in how I communicate now, which might be intimidating to some, but I'm not worried about that. It's like dealing with a brain injury; others will just have to deal with it."

The actor Bruce Willis has stopped acting because he has aphasia, a condition affecting his ability to communicate.

Rumer Willis, actress and eldest daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, shared the news on Instagram. Her post mentioned that Bruce has been dealing with health issues and was diagnosed with aphasia, affecting his thinking abilities. As a result, he's decided to step back from his career, which has been very important to him. Later, it was revealed that Bruce also has frontotemporal dementia, which often goes along with aphasia.

In 2011, Emilia Clarke, known for her role in 'Game of Thrones,' suffered a rare stroke called a subarachnoid hemorrhage while exercising.

After the accident, Emilia Clarke had trouble remembering her own name. She said, "Instead of saying my name, I mumbled incoherent words and felt really scared—a strong feeling that something bad was about to happen."