Emma Heming Willis recently got candid and revealed how they got Bruce Willis’ dementia diagnosis.
Speaking with PEOPLE magazine in this week’s cover story, the 47-year-old British model and actress shared the moment the neurologist informed her about Bruce’s diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) in November 2022; she stopped understanding the doctor’s words.
Emma said, “I’m sure the doctor was explaining what FTD is, [but] I couldn’t hear a single thing.”
“I had pins and needles going through my body. My ears were wafting. I’m sure he was feeding us information but all I heard was just, ‘Check back in and here’s a pamphlet,’” she quipped.
Despite feeling a sense of relief after getting an official diagnosis and being aware of a primary cause of Bruce’s behavioural changes, the Perfect Stranger star was bewildered with inadequate direction on what to do next.
“I was grateful to get to a diagnosis, but there is no cure for this disease, and being sent on our way with no support, no nothing was really traumatic. It’s not just happening to us. This is how many people are receiving their diagnosis,” Emma noted.
Notably, she ended up doing her own research to “figure out what to do”, which made her feel isolated and everything looked “bleak”, saying, “Early on, life felt very dark, very one-note of just grief and sadness.”
It is pertinent to mention that almost 12 million people in the United States are taking care of their loved ones suffering from dementia without clear guidance and a roadmap to follow.
