Emma Heming Willis revealed how her family is navigating vacations and big events as husband Bruce Willis battles frontotemporal dementia.
In her book, The Unexpected Journey: Finding Strength, Hope, and Yourself on the Caregiving Path, which is out now, Heming Willis, 49, revealed that she and Willis’ daughter Maple, 13, recently graduated from the sixth grade. Willis, 70, did not attend the celebration amid his battle with the disease.
“Under different circumstances, Bruce wouldn’t have missed a thing, since he loved nothing more than to root his girls on,” Heming Willis wrote. “In fact, I can say with confidence that his would have been the loudest ‘WOO!’ in the room.”
Despite Willis being unable to attend the ceremony, Heming Willis said that her husband was there “in spirit.”
“So as nuts as this may sound, at these events I close my eyes and channel Bruce into the moment. I intentionally tap into his subconscious and bring him in,” she added.
Emma Heming Willis has been open about the ups and downs of supporting her husband, Bruce Willis, on his health journey following his diagnosis with aphasia and frontotemporal dementia. “This was the summer of self-discovery — finding new hobbies, going out of my comfort zone and staying active,” Heming Willis wrote via Instagram in August […]
Elsewhere in the book, Heming Willis recalled taking a trip to Mexico without Willis prior to him getting his FTD diagnosis. She instead went on the trip with Mabel and younger daughter Evelyn, 11, and some close family friends. Heming Willis left Willis with a care team after a friend advised her not to break her husband’s routine. She admitted it was a “crushing” decision but ultimately felt it was what was best for him.
Heming Willis said she “worried” about her husband but “made sure to not amplify it more than necessary” during the vacation. Mabel and Evelyn were able to see her “completely removed from caregiving and just being their mom.”
In another chapter, Heming Willis once again mentioned that her daughters will not get to create memories with their dad on vacations and share “big moments” with him in the future due to his diagnosis. (In addition to Evelyn and Mabel, Willis also shares daughters Rumer, 37, Scout, 34, and Tallulah, 31, with ex-wife Demi Moore.)
“He won’t beam with pride at their graduations or dance with them or their older sisters at their weddings,” she said.
Emma Heming Wills and Bruce Willis Gary Gershoff/WireImage
The family revealed Willis was diagnosed with FTD, which causes linguistic and behavioral changes, in February 2023. The typical lifespan for someone with FTD is seven to 13 years, according to the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration.
Heming Willis has documented her travels with her daughters via Instagram, capturing photos from their peaceful hikes and their birthday celebrations.
“The Getty gave us art, stunning gardens, sunshine and the perfect spot for a picnic. Grateful for this slow Sunday with the girls 🖼️✨🤍,” Heming Willis captioned a July 20 photo carousel with her kids.
Willis currently lives in a second home, separate from his family, with a full-time care team. Heming Willis brings the girls over for regular visits at the estate, which is located near their primary residence.
“Bruce was always wanting them to have fun and have big lives, and he just wants them laughing,” Heming Willis told Vanity Fair on September 5 of the living arrangement.
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She also discussed her caregiving and bond with her husband amid the book’s release.
“It doesn’t even feel like this ‘husband and wife’ thing,” Heming Willis said. “We’re almost past that. I don’t know what you call this, but it’s something else. I just feel very connected to him, and I don’t know what that label would be.”
“It’s just deeper,” she continued. “He’s my person.”
