This diagnosis devastated Bruce Willis (70) and his family. The Hollywood icon has been suffering from frontotemporal dementia for three years. Wife Emma Heming Willis (47) has found her own way to cope with her husband’s illness – there is no hiding it in her family.
“I never want our daughters to think that this is something to be ashamed of or hidden. It’s quite the opposite,” Emma said of her children Mabel, 13, and Evelyn, 11, who she has with the action star. The fate that befell him did not silence him, but rather encouraged him to face his illness openly. Especially when dealing with his two daughters.
Bruce Willis with his two daughters Evelyn (left) and Mabel (file photo)
Girls learn about the diagnosis of dementia early on
As soon as Bruce Willis was diagnosed, Emma knew: “I wanted them to see how their father’s fate shed light on something that affected millions of families.”
He always wanted the best for his two daughters — for example, “a home where they could be kids,” said his wife, Emma. Bruce Willis was 67 years old when he was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of dementia in November 2022. The disease progressed quickly, destroying language, personality and life.
The new everyday life is very limiting for girls: Play dates are canceled and the house has to stay quiet because Bruce has become very sensitive to noise. To get them back to normal, Emma organizes help and sets up a second home for him. So the girls can finally be kids again.
In her book “A Very Special Journey,” Heming Willis, 47, explains how she coped as a wife and caregiver. What helps him, what he hopes for during this difficult time and what can give him strength.
The wife hopes there will be a breakthrough in research
“If we don’t talk about it, nothing will change,” Heming Willis said. Openness should also encourage research – especially while their children are still alive. The hope: progress in treatment and perhaps even a cure for the disease.
Bruce Willis, who has three other daughters from his previous marriage to Demi Moore, was an on-screen hero – now his fate is giving the millions of people affected a voice. “Bruce touched so many lives. His work was extraordinary and will be remembered forever,” said his wife. “But it also paves the way for important conversations about this dementiacaring, and what it means to love someone through these changes.”
