Emma Heming-Willis (45) devotes herself to caring for her husband Bruce Willis (68). In March 2022 it was announced that the actor suffered from aphasia and had to end his career. A few months later, the family announced that Bruce also had frontotemporal dementia (FTD).
Since the two diagnoses, Emma has been caring intensively for her husband and is committed to greater sensitivity towards those affected and better information about the course of the disease. The model is well aware that she has more options than others who are affected by similar challenges.
Bruce Willis’ wife is plagued by guilt and sees herself as an “advocate for the families”
In a self-written article for Maria Shriver’s (68) publication “The Sunday Paper”, the model shared how fortunate she is as a carer to have access to certain doctors and medical professionals. But not everyone would have that. “I struggle with guilt because I know I have resources that others don’t,” she admitted.
For example, when she goes on a hike to “clear her head,” Emma continues, it is not lost on her that “not all care partners are able to do that.”
But the 45-year-old is not fighting alone: “If what I tell about our family’s journey gets press attention, I know that there are many thousands of untold, unheard stories, each one of which needs compassion and “Deserves concern,” she continued. Your descriptions would thereby enable others to “be seen and understood”.
It is important to her “to be an advocate on behalf of these families. Families who don’t have the time, energy or resources to advocate for themselves.”
Emma Heming-Willis: “Suddenly I was no longer alone”
In the article, Emma also explained that one of the lessons she has learned on this ongoing journey is the importance of community. At first, she said, she had difficulty informing the public about Bruce’s diagnosis. However, when she finally shared the news, she was relieved. “Suddenly I was no longer alone and was able to find the support that Bruce, I and our family so desperately needed,” Emma explained.
She is deeply impressed by these people: They have “so much compassion and are so determined to make things better for the next family.”
