Rumer Willis, Bruce Willis' eldest daughter, undergoes genetic testing to learn about her predisposition to developing neurodegenerative diseases
Let's remember that the actor has been suffering from frontotemporal dementia (FTD) since 2023
Rumer Willis , the eldest daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, has undergone genetic testing to learn about her predisposition to developing neurodegenerative diseases . The 38-year-old actress made this decision motivated by the diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) that her father has been facing since 2023 , as she commented in an interview with People magazine.
"Sometimes it is frightening to get answers. Obviously, there are genetic issues in my family. Not just dementia; I have also had relatives who have suffered from breast cancer and other illnesses" , she confessed. Rumer specifically underwent the APOE genetic test through the health platform Function. This test analyzes variants of a gene mainly associated with the risk of developing Alzheimer's.
Rumer Willis, Bruce Willis's eldest daughter: “I think that when you have information, you have power”
Although Bruce Willis's diagnosis was the trigger for her to review her brain health , the genomic test she underwent estimates the risk of Alzheimer's. Her father's condition (frontotemporal dementia) is a different neurodegenerative disease that affects different areas of the brain (language and behavior) and whose exact hereditary factors are governed by other markers.
In addition to dementia, she noted that in her family there is a history of other illnesses such as breast cancer. "I think that when you have information, you have power. It sounds very Spider-Man, but when we can see that perhaps we have a greater predisposition to something, we can begin to work actively to reduce inflammation in the body or take care of heart health," she said.
Rummer Willis gave birth to her daughter Louetta in 2023 , also a determining factor in opting for prevention mechanisms. "One of the most important things for me is knowing that the decisions I make have an effect not only on me, but also on my daughter and on my ability to be by her side for as long as possible," she concluded.
