Bruce Willis’ wife, Emma Heming Willis, is opening up about the factors that went into the decision to move the actor into a separate home after his frontotemporal dementia diagnosis.
Heming Willis, 49, said that living with FTD “requires a calm and serene atmosphere,” while speaking with People on Wednesday, September 3. She also explained that she wanted their two daughters, Mabel, 13, and Evelyn, 11, to have a sense of normalcy in their lives, prompting the decision to relocate Willis, 70, into a second home.
“We have two young children, and it was just important that they had a home that supported their needs and that Bruce could have a place that supported his needs … The kids can have playdates and sleepovers [again] and not have to walk around tiptoeing,” Heming Willis told the outlet.
According to The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration, “Loud sounds, bright lights, or hectic group activities can be overwhelming for somebody with FTD, which in turn can trigger hostile behavior.”
Heming Willis said the result of the move has been an environment that’s more tranquil for the family as they continue to navigate Willis’ condition.
“Everything just feels a lot calmer, more at ease now,” she maintained.
While Heming Willis admitted it was “heartbreaking” to have her family live in separate homes, the decision has “opened up Bruce’s world.” She encouraged others to do “what’s right for your family dynamic.”
Heming Willis added that Mabel and Evelyn have left many belongings at Willis’ home for them to continue to create memories with their dad.
“I get to go back to being Bruce’s wife and the kids can be kids and there’s beauty in that and I’m so grateful for that,” Heming Willis shared. “I just get to be with him in these moments and that is because of this set up we have. It’s been helpful for us.”
The family makes regular visits and comes over for meals, Heming Willis revealed in ABC’s Emma and Bruce Willis: The Unexpected Journey – A Diane Sawyer Special on August 26. Willis receives round-the-clock care from an at-home care team hired by Heming Willis. He also gets regular visits from friends.
FTD has no cure and “inevitably gets worse over time and the speed of decline differs from person to person,” per the Alzheimer’s Association. The disease can “variably cause deterioration in behavior, personality and/or difficulty with producing or comprehending language.”
Emma Heming Willis is opening up about her mission to help other caregivers and patients amid husband Bruce Willis‘ frontotemporal dementia battle. “Early on, I was very isolated. I was too scared to say anything to anyone,” Heming Willis, 49, told People in an interview published on Wednesday, September 3. “I was in so much […]
Heming Willis revealed that Willis’ communication was impacted by the disease, but they are working on ways to communicate with each other without words.
“Sometimes love does not need words,” she said. “I can just sit there with Bruce and look at him, and we look at each other, and we laugh and smile, and that to me is more than anything.”
Heming Willis previously defended the decision to move Willis into a separate home in a video shared via Instagram on August 29.
“The truth is the opinions are so loud and so noisy but if they don’t have the experience of this they don’t get a say and they definitely don’t get a vote,” she said at the end of the clip.
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