By Gavin Boyle
Bruce Willis’ wife, Emma Heming Willis, shared that Bruce continues to have good and bad days as he lives with frontotemporal dementia.
“It’s such a loaded question. It’s hard to answer,” Heming Willis said when asked about her husband’s health. “But honestly, today, great. He is surrounded by love and care, and he is doing really well with an unkind disease.”
“For us, now, our communication is different, but our connection is very much intact,” she added, explaining how the progressive disease has started to really take a toll on Bruce.
Related: Emma Heming Willis Still Finds ‘Joy’ With Husband Bruce Willis
Bruce was diagnosed with the disease in 2023 and has since pulled back from acting and public appearances as his family looks after him. Meanwhile, Heming Willis has used the spotlight to shine a light on caregivers – a group of people whose thankless work almost always goes unnoticed.
“Text or call a person in your life that’s a caregiver and let them know here is X, Y, or Z I can do to help you this week,” Heming Willis wrote shortly after her husband’s diagnosis was shared with the public. “If the caregiver says, ‘I’m fine, I don’t need anything,’ which is most likely what they just might say, then drop some food at their doorstep or flowers or a small something and text them after to let them know it’s there. Or honestly, just tell them thank you and that they are doing a great job. That kindness and support will go such a long, long way.”
Heming Willis has also shown how families can handle dementia while younger kids are around the person fighting the disease. The couple share two daughters who were aged 11 and 9 when Bruce was first diagnosed, and Heming Willis was open with them about the disease right away rather than trying to hide it from them.
“We’re a very honest and open household,” Heming Willis said of how the family is handling the actor’s condition. “The most important thing was…to say what the disease was. Explain what it is because when you know what the disease is from a medical standpoint, it sort of all makes sense.”
“So, it was important that we let [our daughters] know what it is because, you know, I don’t want there to be any stigma or shame attached to their dad’s diagnosis or for any form of dementia,” she added.
While it is heartbreaking to hear how Bruce’s health continues to slip as a result of the disease, it is amazing that his wife has taken this opportunity to spread positivity and shine a light on caregivers everywhere. Please keep the Willis family in your prayers.
Read Next: Bruce Willis’ Wife to Release Book About Caregiving After His Dementia Diagnosis
Questions or comments? Please write to us here.
– Content: +1Share:
– Content: +1