Emma Heming Willis is opening up about the challenges going through her husband, Bruce Willis, as he lives with frontotemporal dementia.
Three years after Willis stepped away from his career after having been diagnosed, his spouse spoke with ABC’s Diane Sawyer for a special titled, “Emma & Bruce Willis: The Unexpected Journey.”
According to the Mayo Clinic, frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is an “umbrella term for a group of brain disorders that primarily affect the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. These areas of the brain are generally associated with personality, behavior and language.”
Heming Willis advised Sawyer that whereas Willis is cellular and usually in good well being, it’s “his brain that is failing him.”
“The language is going, and, you know, we’ve learned to adapt,” she stated. “And we have a way of communicating with him which is just a different, a different way.”
The couple, who married in 2009, are dad and mom to 2 daughters, Mabel, 13, and Evelyn, 11. Willis additionally has three grownup daughters, Rumer, 37, Scout, 34, and Tallulah, 31, along with his ex-wife, actress Demi Moore.
Heming Willis stated she advised their daughters early on about their father’s sickness. She stated she initially saved their family remoted in an effort to keep away from something that might agitate Willis’s situation, however ultimately realized she wanted extra assist.
Heming Willis stated that led her to “one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make,” which was to maneuver Willis to a separate, one-story residence the place he may obtain around-the-clock care.
Not that he’s disconnected from the family, as Heming Willis stated she has breakfast and dinner with him every day and he nonetheless maintains a loving relationship with all of them.
“He’s holding our hands,” she stated. “We’re kissing him. We’re hugging him.”
Heming Willis stated she misses with the ability to speak with Willis like she used to, however is aware of what she would talk about with him if she may.
“Just how he’s doing, [if] he’s okay, he feels okay. If there’s anything that we could do to support him better. I would really love to know that,” she stated. “If he’s scared. If he’s ever worried. You know, I just would love to be able to, just to have a conversation with him.”
The particular is streaming on Hulu and Disney+. Heming Willis’s e book about their family expertise with FTD, titled “The Unexpected Journey,” comes out September 9.