Wife reports hardships
It is unclear whether Bruce Willis knows about his illness
September 26, 2023, 1:11 a.m
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Hollywood star Bruce Willis suffers from dementia. Not even his wife knows whether the 68-year-old is even aware of his illness. But she says one thing very clearly: it’s hard for the whole family.
It has been known since the beginning of the year that Hollywood star Bruce Willis is suffering from dementia. The actor’s family announced in February that the 68-year-old had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia. Numerous stars and companions of the iconic “Die Hard” actor such as Melanie Griffith, Michelle Pfeiffer and “Breaking Bad” actor Aaron Paul then expressed their sympathy and sympathy.
Now Willis’ wife Emma Heming-Willis was a guest on the US television program “The Today Show” to launch the official “Frontotemporal Dementia Awareness Week 2023”. On this occasion, the former model was asked by presenter Hoda Kotb whether Bruce Willis was aware of his serious illness and understood what was happening to him. “It’s hard to know,” said the 45-year-old.
“Dementia is hard,” Bruce Willis’ wife added on the morning show on US channel NBC. The disease is “hard for the person diagnosed,” but “also hard for the family.” It’s “no different for Bruce, me or our girls. If they say it’s a family illness, then that’s the way it is,” says Heming-Willis.
“Frontotemporal dementia is a rather rare form of dementia,” explains neuroscientist Boris Nikolai Konrad regarding the star’s illness. “It is caused by damage to the brain, specifically, as the name suggests, in the frontal and temporal lobes. These brain regions are located directly behind the forehead and are very important for our personality, language, movement and consciousness, among other things.” The disease that Bruce Willis suffers from is “a neurodegenerative disease, which means that nerve cells die as a result of the disease,” says Konrad.
“Diagnosis is a blessing and a curse at the same time”
Willis’ wife Emma Heming-Willis described it as a “blessing and a curse at the same time” to deal with her husband’s diagnosis on US television. On the one hand, it was helpful to “somehow finally understand what was happening.” At the same time, her husband’s correct diagnosis doesn’t make things “less painful.”
Heming-Willis sees herself in her marriage not so much as a “caregiver” but as a “care partner.” “He’s my partner, so I’m his care partner,” she said on the “Today Show.” In the past few weeks and months, she has also learned how important it is to be able to “ask for help and support” as a care partner. It’s important for care partners to “take care of themselves so they can be the best partner for the person they are caring for.”