Bruce Willis’ wife Emma Heming says ‘everything changed for the better’ after revealing his dementia diagnosis to the world: ‘I felt this weight lift from my shoulders’

Bruce Willis’ wife, Emma Heming, revealed that sharing his frontotemporal dementia (FTD) diagnosis with the world felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

When asked how her life has changed since the Die Hard legend’s health struggles went public in 2023, a year after he revealed he suffered from a condition called aphasia, the 45-year-old actress said: “Everything changed for the better when we were able to reveal ‘his diagnosis.’

“I could breathe,” she said while attending the AFTD 2024 Education Conference on May 3. “I could actually exhale and feel the weight lift off my shoulders.”

The mother of two continued, “I was able to seek the support I so desperately needed for my husband, for our entire family.”

On Tuesday, Heming shared images of herself on stage at the conference in Houston, Texas, alongside a message about her goal to “raise as much awareness about FTD as possible.”

‘My goal? To see treatment and a cure one day,” she told her 942,000 Instagram followers.

Additionally, she shared a photo of herself, along with three other attendees, with a caption about “feeling grateful” to be “surrounded by other FTD care partners, volunteers and advocates” with the same goal of supporting each other.

The model has been married to Bruce since 2009 and shares daughters Mabel, 11, and Evelyn, nine, with him.

He shares daughters Rumer, 35, Scout, 32, and Tallulah, 30, with his ex-wife Demi Moore.

In March, Heming celebrated her and Willis’ 15th wedding anniversary with a heartfelt tribute on social media.

‘Today we celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary! And today I can make a choice. I can wallow in sadness or I can celebrate,” she wrote on Instagram. ‘I call this the ‘remarkable reframe’. What I know is that there is so much to celebrate. Our unity and connection is probably stronger than ever.”

She continued, “We have two smart, fun and healthy daughters. We have a family unit built on mutual respect and admiration. And simply, I just love the man I married. I am so proud of what we have and continue to create. So, happy crystal anniversary to us!’

Earlier this year, the retired actor’s husband sang his praises on Instagram, describing him as a “true gentleman” with a “pure” and “good” core.

“Like you, we love him,” she posted on Instagram. “What you may not know, but you may imagine, is that being wrapped in his arms is the safest place in this whole wide world.

Plus, she called him “the gift that keeps on giving.”

This spring, Heming walked back a report that said the actor had “no more joy” in his life amid his health struggles with frontotemporal dementia and aphasia.

Heming said in a clip on her Instagram page that she saw a headline that basically said “there is no joy left” in her husband.

“I can just tell you that’s far from the truth,” she fired back. “I need society and whoever writes these stupid headlines to stop scaring people.”

Heming added that public and media perceptions regarding neurocognitive diseases need to change.

‘Stop scaring people into thinking that once they’re diagnosed with some neurocognitive disease – “That’s it, it’s over, let’s pack up, nothing else to see, we’re done” – no, it’s the exact opposite of that,” she said.

Heming said that while the health battle has brought her family “a lot of heartache and sadness,” there is also love, connection, joy and happiness.

She concluded by saying, “So stop with the stupid headlines… there’s nothing to see here, okay?”

In the caption of the post, Heming said that her “experience is that two things can be true and exist at the same time.”

Heming gave contrasting examples, including “sadness and deep love,” “sadness and deep connection,” and “trauma and resilience.”

In the caption of the post, she shared how she arrived at her thought process.

“I had to work hard to get here, but once I arrived, life really started to make sense and I had a real sense of purpose,” Heming said. ‘There is so much beauty and soul in this story.’

Heming said she has come to understand that “people who haven’t taken the time to properly educate themselves about any neurocognitive disease” is based on the “headline after headline and snippets of misinformation” she has seen on the subject .

In a follow-up post, Heming explained that the headlines were disheartening for those who care for people with dementia.

“Care partners are already having a hard time in the support department,” says Heming. ‘These headlines that paint this constant ominous picture of dementia are damaging to them as they try to build their support unit around them. Or send someone who wants to help in the other direction.

“I just ask that you consider reframing this negative narrative surrounding dementia. That would be so kind and generous to the next care partner and their loved one.”

It’s been just over two years since Heming released a joint statement via Instagram with her two daughters and Willis’ ex-wife Demi Moore, 61, and daughters Rumer Scout, Tallulah, announcing that Willis was stepping back from acting. in the middle of his aphasia diagnosis.

In the March 30, 2022 statement, they said Willis “has experienced a number of health issues and was recently diagnosed with aphasia, which is impacting his cognitive abilities.

“As a result, it is with great consideration that Bruce steps away from the career that has meant so much to him. This is a very challenging time for our family and we are extremely grateful for your continued love, compassion and support.”

They continued, “We are going through this as a strong family unit and wanted to include his fans because we know how much he means to you, just as you mean to him. As Bruce always says, ‘Live it up’ and together we plan to do just that.”