Bruce Willis' openness about a medical condition making it difficult if not impossible for him to communicate is already having a profound effect ... folks are learning about the disorder.
The actor was recently diagnosed with aphasia -- a language disorder impacting the ability to comprehend words and/or speak -- and a recent survey shows more Americans are now aware of the term, and many say they first heard about aphasia with the news about Bruce.
The National Aphasia Association tells us ... it just conducted a survey in the wake of Bruce's announcement -- they usually wait 4 years between surveys but changed it up in the wake of media coverage around Bruce -- and numbers showed increased awareness across the country, which they found "astounding."
Some of the findings:
- 68% of people have heard the term "aphasia" ... a huge jump from 2020, when only 14% had heard of the condition
- 40% of people are "aphasia aware," meaning they've heard the term and can identify it as a language disorder ... a significant increase over 2020, when only 7% were "aphasia aware"
- Significantly fewer people think having difficulties with speech indicates being intellectually deficient, with the number dropping from 42% in 2020 to 21% currently.
We're told roughly 1 in 5 respondents mentioned Bruce's name when responding to a question about the last place they remember reading or hearing about aphasia.
Aphasia has Bruce's acting career on pause ... but his celebrity is shining a light on the condition.