Bruce Willis‘ wife won’t “shield” the realities of his condition from their young children.
Emma Heming Willis has two daughters with husband Bruce Willis
The ‘Die Hard’ actor’s spouse Emma Heming Willis was relieved when he finally got a definitive diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) two years ago so she could “educate” Mabel, 12, and 10-year-old Evelyn on their dad’s struggles and she won’t “sugarcoat” any of the realities for them.
She told Town and Country magazine: “This disease is misdiagnosed, it’s missed, it’s misunderstood, so finally getting to a diagnosis was key so that I could learn what frontotemporal dementia is and I could educate our children.
“I’ve never tried to sugarcoat anything for them. They’ve grown up with Bruce declining over the years. I’m not trying to shield them from it.”
Emma has made her kids aware that “Daddy’s not going to get better” but she is determined the disease won’t “take down” their entire family.
She said: “What I learned from our therapist was that if children ask questions, they’re ready to know the answer. If we could see that Bruce was struggling, I would address it with the kids so they could understand, but this disease is chronic, progressive, and terminal. There is no cure.
“Obviously, I don’t like to speak about the terminal side of this with them, nor have they asked. They know that Daddy’s not going to get better.
“There is no treatment, which is why I’m out there raising awareness, so that they can see that we have some agency in this. I’m not going to allow FTD to take our whole family down. Bruce wouldn’t want that. They’re going to see me fight for our family, have some hope, and help the next family out there.”
Emma announced the news of Bruce’s diagnosis in a joint statement with his ex-wife Demi Moore and their three adult daughters, Rumer, Scout and Tallulah, and the 46-year-old model gets “goosebumps” thinking about the response they received and she’s proud of the lessons her kids can learn.
She said: “This is not the opportunity that I would want, but it’s the opportunity that’s been presented.
“wanted them to see us come out with our family statement, and I get goosebumps thinking about it how it was received with so much love and compassion.
“We’ve been able to raise awareness on a global scale, and they could see the reach and impact that their father has. That’s a beautiful thing.”
And Emma is thankful for the support of Demi and her daughters.
She said: “The family respects the way I’m looking after him; they really support me. If I need to vent, if I need to cry, if I need to rage – because all of that can happen and it’s okay to have those feelings – they are always there to listen.
“I’m so thankful that we are this blended family. They’re very supportive, very loving, and very helpful, and a lot of people don’t have that.”