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By Michaela Gordoni
Emma Heming Willis recently revealed that her family has moved Bruce to a separate home close to theirs as he battles frontotemporal dementia.
“It was a hard decision for us, but that was the safest and best decision, not just for Bruce, but also for our two young girls,” Heming Willis said on GOOD MORNING AMERICA Tuesday.
“I knew it was coming,” she added on CBS MORNINGS. “Because caregivers are so judged, right? We already judge ourselves.
“I think for each caregiving journey is our own, each care plan is their own. You have to be ready to sort of be nimble and be able to pivot,” she explained. “But most importantly to do what is the safest for your person and for your family.”
Willis’ family consists of his three adult daughters with ex-wife Demi Moore, and his two daughters with Heming Willis.
Related: Emma Heming Willis Still Finds ‘Joy’ With Husband Bruce Willis
“I’m so blessed to be able to have them on this journey. You know, we just love and support Bruce so much. Our life is very simple. Our life is really simplified, and there’s something really beautiful about that, just being able to be in these moments that are so fleeting,” she said.
Heming Willis writes about their family’s experience in her new book, The Unexpected Journey: Finding Strength, Hope, and Yourself on the Caregiving Path. The book is to help others navigate caring for loved ones.
“I wrote the book that I wish someone had handed me on the day we received the diagnosis,” she said.
“I realized that the unexpected was born from this idea that I have the time, the energy, the access and the resources to be able to take the wisdom and insight from this journey that I’m on still and bring in experts and specialist,” she said.
It’s her way of helping others — and she hopes that it does.
“I think that caregivers are so fatigued with making decisions all the time,” she said. “I really want to just put some actionable, tangible ideas into this book so that caregivers don’t have to think too hard. Sometimes I just want someone to tell me, like, tell me what to do because we’re so maxed out.”
Hemming Willis found out that caregivers frequently die before the person they’re caring for. Over 63% die before people their own age. She says 40% of caregivers miss their own doctors’ appointments because they don’t have enough help.
“I was floored by it, and it was the wake-up call I needed. I needed to hear that so I could understand and start to really take my own health seriously and prioritize it,” Heming Willis said.
“I didn’t know I was allowed to ask for help,” she said. “I’ve always been very self-sufficient and independent, and I’ve really had to unravel that because I realize I needed to raise my hand and know that I wasn’t a failure because I was asking for help.”
Willis’ condition was hard to identify at first, as he slowly started to behave differently.
“I walked out with nothing, no hope, no direction, no road map, nothing,” she said. “I was stunned. And that is how this unexpected — from that traumatic moment was where that book comes from.”
Heming Willis’ book is currently available everywhere books are sold.
Read Next: Bruce Willis’ Wife Opens Up About ‘Unexpected Journey’ as Husband’s Caregiver
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