Bruce Willis Diagnosis: Doctor explains frontotemporal dementia
Dr. Daniel Amen spoke about USA Today and what the diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia and incurable diseases might look like.
Damien Henderson and Cody Godwin, USA Today
Bruce Willis’ wife Emma Heming Willis offers heartbreaking health updates about the legendary actor.
In an interview with the ABC special “Emma & Bruce Willis: An Unexpected Journey,” which aired on Tuesday, August 26th, Heming Willis discussed the health of the 70-year-old “Die Hard” star.
“The blues are still very mobile. The blues are in a really healthy state overall,” Heming Willis, 47, told host Diane Sawyer. “It’s his brain that’s making him fail.”
Heming Willis revealed that the main symptom of Willis’ frontotemporal dementia is a loss of language.
“The language is moving forward, and, as you know, we’ve learned to adapt,” Heming Willis said. “And we have a way of communicating with him. It’s just… another way.”
In recent years, actress and model Heming Willis has been at the forefront of advocating for family caregivers. Now, her family story is featured on September 9th in her new book, “Unexpected Journey: Finding Strength, Hope, and Self.”
Despite their challenges, Heming Willis and her daughters, Mabel (13) and Evelyn, 11, can still see “the sparkle of (Willis’s) eyes.”
“It’s not a day, but there’s a moment,” Heming Willis told Sawyer. “That’s his laugh, right?
“And because it goes as fast as those moments come in. It’s difficult. But I’m grateful. I’m grateful that my husband is still here.” In a sneak peek of a previously released “An unexpected journey,” the advocates were open with Sawyer about her reaction to Willis, who was diagnosed with dementia.
“I was in such a panic that I remember hearing it and not hearing anything else,” Heming Willis told Sawyer in a teaser clip released on August 13th. Scout, 34; Tarra, 31. The family announced their diagnosis in February 2023.
Does Bruce Willis still recognize his wife Emma during his dementia battle?
While Willis’s condition had a major impact on his cognitive abilities, Heming Willis told Sawyer that he believes the actor is still aware of her and their children.
“I think he’s like that, don’t you? “When we’re with him… he’s brightening, right? He’s holding our hands. We’re kissing him. We’re holding him.
She said, “That’s all I need. Do you know? I don’t need to know that he is his wife, and we were married on this day – I don’t need it. I just want to feel connected to him.
Emma Heming Willis talks about the pain of having Bruce Willis in his new home
In her ABC News interview, Heming Willis said she and her family decided to put Willis in a new home along with a professional caregiver who is safer for the actor amid his dementia fight.
It was “one of the most difficult decisions,” explained Heming Willis. “But I knew, first and foremost, Bruce wanted that for our daughters. He would want them to be in a home that suits their needs, not his needs.”
Heming Willis tries to avoid sticking to her early relationship with Willis because it is “hard to look back,” but she shares what she wants to tell her husband whether she had a conversation today.
“How he’s doing, if there’s something he can do to support him better (if he’s OK),” Heming Willis said. “I really want to know that. If he’s scary. If he’s ever worried, if you know, I can only have a conversation with him.”
(This story has been updated to add new information.)
contribution:
