Things changed for Bruce Willis and his wife Emma Heming Willis in a blink of an eye after his aphasia (more specifically frontotemporal dementia) diagnosis a few years ago.
While speaking at the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement Forum in Las Vegas on May 26, Heming Willis shared her initial thoughts and feelings after her husband’s doctor appointment.
“On the day Bruce got his diagnosis, we left the doctor’s office with a pamphlet and a hollow goodbye. No plan, no guidance, no hope, just shock,” she said at the event, according to People magazine.
“The future we imagined simply vanished, and I was left trying to hold my family together, raise our two young daughters, and care for the man I love while navigating a disease I barely understood,” she added.
“I felt lost, isolated and scared. What I needed in that moment at that appointment wasn’t just medical information. I needed someone to look me in the eye and say, ‘This feels impossible right now, but you will find your footing. You will survive this and you will grow because of it,'” she added.
Heming Willis has become an advocate, not only for her husband’s medical needs, but for other families who are faced with similar situations.
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In April, the mom of two shared the cover of her new book, The Unexpected Journey, which will be released in September.
“Born from grief, shaped by love, and guided by purpose, this is the book I needed back when Bruce was first diagnosed and I was frozen with fear and uncertainty. This is the book I trust will help the next caregiver. It is filled with support, insight, and the hope needed to navigate this journey,” she captioned an Instagram post.
And while things may look different for Willis, Heming Willis, and their family, they’ve all banded together to share love and support with one another and with the Die Hard star, 70, who seems to be doing okay, three years into his diagnosis.
“He’s in a very stable place at the moment. I’ve shared this before, but I really mean this so sincerely — it’s so important for anybody who’s dealing with this to really meet them where they’re at,” Willis’ ex-wife Demi Moore told CNN in December 2024.
