Emma Heming Willis has shared her frustration at doctors and the media who have labeled her husband’s condition – frontotemporal dementia (FTD) – as “other dementia”.
It should go without saying that it’s been a tough year for the Willis clan. After revealing in February that Bruce Willis had been diagnosed with FTD, they’ve banded together in an effort to ensure that his life moving forward is as comfortable and fulfilled as can be.
Perhaps no one has felt the strain quite like Emma Heming Willis, who has become her famous husband’s primary caregiver. The couple share two daughters, and Emma has been a rock at Bruce’s side since the symptoms and effects of his condition became apparent.
Emma was a staunch advocate of World FTD Awareness Week earlier this month, opening up on a number of topics centered around her husband’s illness and what their lives now look like.
As the week came to a close, though, the 45-year-old took to social media to categorically state her belief that it was important that FTD be viewed as a separate diagnosis.
Emma uploaded a series of small clips in Instagram, telling her followers that she was only “scratching the surface” with her advocacy work.
The actress said: “I have so many whys as to why I raise awareness. […] At the end of the day, what I would love to see is a cure, a treatment for this disease. And if we don’t raise our voices, they’re just gonna run right past us. So continue to raise your voice.”
In another upload, Emma admitted to having grown “annoyed” with doctors who grouped all dementias outside of Alzheimer’s as “other dementia”.
“I’m just gonna leave you with one more thing because now I’m annoyed. When doctors or [the] media speak about dementia, they’ll say ‘Alzheimer’s and other dementia’,” Emma said.
“So FTD is the ‘other dementia’ and let me tell you something about that disease; it is real, it is out there and it will bring you to your knees.
“I think that it is an absolute disservice and absolutely disrespectful for these ‘other dementias’ to be put in that category. I think it’s really important for us to know what these diseases are like vascular, like Lewy body, like FTD.”
She concluded: “Call it what it is because that is where the confusion lies; when people think of dementia they automatically think of Alzheimer’s. I do not want to see this disease and our ‘other dementias’ swept under the rug anymore.”
Earlier this moth, Emma admitted that Bruce was “not good”, despite sharing photos of what looks like a happy life on social media.
“I know it looks like I’m out living my best life, [but] I have to make a conscious effort every single day to live the best life that I can. I do that for myself, I do that for our two children and [I do that for] Bruce, who would not want me to live any other way,” she said in an emotional video posted on Instagram.
Our thoughts and prayers remain with Bruce Willis and his loved ones at this difficult time. If you found this story interesting, check out Tallulah Willis’s heartbreaking admission below…
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