Bruce Willis and Emma Heming Willis.Photo: Jamie McCarthy/Getty
Bruce Willis' wifeEmma Heming Willisis getting candid on the impacts of dementia.
The model and entrepreneur, 44, opened up about the “beautiful” community of patients and caregivers she’s met during an Instagram Live discussion about the stigmas around the disease with dementia specialistTeepa Snowon Friday.
“It’s definitely very lonely,” said Emma, after announcing last month that Bruce, 68, was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD). “Which, the blessing for us to be able tocome out with our family’s statementwas to be able to have a community, and how beautiful is this community?”
She expressed her gratitude for “the amount of love and compassion that we’ve received” since sharing the statement.
Emma also clarified her recent request forpaparazzi and fans to stop yelling at himin public and to give him space. “I’m not asking for privacy, I’m just asking for respect of my husband and his disease,” she explained.
She and Snow also discussed some stigmas that still surround all forms of dementia, including making assumptions about what someone with a diagnosis is able to do.
Snow said they’ve learned with Bruce that “basketball is still an option, but we’ve got to slow it down a little bit and simplify it a little bit,” adding: “But it’s still possible. Do we want to do it? Yes, because it preserves so many other abilities.”
Emma announced in an Instagram post on Feb. 16 that Bruce was diagnosed with FTD, nearly a year after his family initially shared in March 2022 that he had beendiagnosed with aphasiaand would be stepping away from his acting career. She wrote that “Bruce’s condition has progressed and we now have a more specific diagnosis: frontotemporal dementia.”
“Unfortunately, challenges with communication are just one symptom of the disease Bruce faces. While this is painful, it is a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis,” she added.
Bruce Willis and his family.Demi Moore Instagram
Frontotemporal dementia is an all-encompassing term for a group of brain disorders that threatens thefrontal and temporal lobes of the brain. This means that parts of these lobes atrophy, and the shrinking of these areas can cause speech issues, emotional problems and changes in personality.
Other symptoms can include loss of motor skills — problems walking, swallowing or muscle spasms. Symptoms tend to get worse over time. Patients typically begin to notice symptoms between 40 and 65 years of age, but it can affect people who are younger. It is the most common form of dementiafor people under 60.
“I’m grateful I had the opportunity to work with@teepasnows_pac,” she wrote on Instagram. “She’s a loving, compassionate and skilled leader in this space who navigates herself with pure empathy. She’s a gift. Head to the link in my bio as her website has a wealth of caregiving information you might find useful too 💌#dementiaawareness#ftdawarness#EndFTD#EveryFTDStoryCounts.”
RELATED Video:Bruce Willis Diagnosed with Frontotemporal Dementia, His Wife Emma Reveals: ‘Condition Has Progressed’
Since Bruce’s diagnosis, his family has been helping him “live as full a life as possible.”
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Theywrote in a statementshared on the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration’s website: “Bruce has always found joy in life – and has helped everyone he knows to do the same. It has meant the world to see that sense of care echoed back to him and to all of us.”
source: people.com
