04 October 2023 , 13:16
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Bruce Willis' wife Emma Heming Willis has shared that researching frontotemporal dementia (FTD) was "freaking [her] out" initially, but said a podcast acted as a "lifeline".
It was announced earlier this year that Bruce, now 68, had been diagnosed with FTD, which is a form of dementia. His wife Emma, 45, has been raising awareness around the condition in the months since his family shared the news.
Her efforts have included promoting World FTD Awareness Week from September 24 to October 1. Emma marked the occasion through a series of discussions with various individuals about the condition, shared on social media.
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Emma Heming Willis (left) has been raising awareness around frontotemporal dementia following the news that her husband Bruce Willis (right) had been diagnosed with it (VCG via Getty Images)Emma spoke to Maria Kent Beers and Rachael Martinez in one discussion. They founded the Remember Me podcast, which features stories of FTD "with a focus on remembering individuals for who they were before the disease."
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Rachael - who, like Maria, has experienced caring for a parent with FTD - suggested that she didn't have resources like their podcast when she needed support. She said in the discussion: "We wanna be that for people who need it."
Following her remark, Emma said: "You guys have been such a resource to this community and I know that because you have been such a resource for me." She went on to discuss her discovery of the podcast amid Bruce's diagnosis.
Emma - who has been married to retired actor Bruce since 2009 - said: "When this diagnosis of sort of FTD was brought to the table, y'know I didn't know where to go, what to look up. Y'know I'm looking things up, it's freaking me out."
She spoke about seeking support from podcasts amid the diagnosis in a discussion hosted to mark World FTD Awareness Week recently (Youtube)She added: "At the time I was really sort of listening to a lot of podcasts. I was like 'y'know let me just go into the podcast section and put in y'know frontotemporal dementia and see what comes up'. And like not a lot, but you guys popped up.
"I just started listening to your podcasts and just felt like 'oh my gosh like I am so grateful to be able to hear other people's stories'. Y'know there are some that maybe I don't connect to but you have the sort of shared story."
Emma expressed gratitude, saying: "You guys have been so helpful to me so I want to say thank you. I'm surprised I'm not crying because usually that is where I go to when I think of people that have just sort of been that lifeline for me."
If you have questions about frontotemporal dementia, or any other form of dementia, can contact Alzheimer’s Research UK’s Dementia Research Infoline on 0300 111 5 111 between 9.00-5.00pm Monday to Friday or send an email to [email protected]