Bruce Willis has been ill for almost two years.
The 68-year-old actor, who starred in action classics such as
Die Hard
or
Armageddon,
suffers from aphasia and therefore decided to retire from cinema, as his family announced in March 2022;
Furthermore, in February 2023 they announced that he also suffers from dementia.
“There is no treatment for this disease, a reality that we hope will change in the coming years,” they lamented in a statement.
It is his relatives who have been taking care of the interpreter during this time: his wife of 15 years, Emma Heming, with whom he has two daughters, Mabel and Evelyn, aged 11 and nine, as well as his ex-wife, Demi Moore, with whom he maintains a loving relationship, and his three oldest daughters, the result of those 13 years of marriage: Rumer (35 years old), Scott (32) and Tallullah (30).
Now, Heming, his primary caregiver, has announced that she will discuss her process with him in a book she will publish next year.
The news was announced by Heming herself, 45 years old, who was a model and is now a businesswoman (she has a health and wellness platform for women called Make Time Wellness).
There is still no title or publication date, but it is known that it will be published by 2025 and that it will be published by The Open Field, the publishing house founded by Maria Shriver, journalist and former first lady of California, who was married to Arnold Schwarzenegger for 25 years, part of Penguin Random House.
More information
What is aphasia, Bruce Willis' illness that is behind his retirement
The volume will speak to Heming's personal experience, but will also include interviews and advice from experts "offering an inspiring and thought-provoking guide for those seeking support as they navigate the dementia of the person they love," as the author and editor explain. on
Shriver's
Sunday Paper
website .
“I am grateful for this important, unique and healing opportunity to use my voice to raise awareness, encourage and support others,” Heming explained on the website, who also wants the book to land in the hands of “fellow caregivers, but especially from new fellow caregivers, who have just received this life-changing news.”
“They should know that they are not alone and that there is support, even hope.
In a perfect world, I imagine this book in doctors' offices, and how it is handed to them to take home.
“I want this book to be like a warm hug, but it is what is needed throughout this journey.”
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Heming states that for her “knowledge is power.”
“Building a community of support around me has been vital,” she explained, speaking about her husband's illness clearly and directly.
“It has given me stability and I have recovered a certain control, a control that was completely altered when the diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia reached our family universe.
Dementia not only affects our loved one, but it can shake the foundation of the entire family, and yourself, if you let it.
Identifying the right sources to learn and enlighten myself has been powerful and has allowed me space to continue moving forward in the most positive way and to be a better mother, wife, daughter, friend, and fellow caregiver.
I want to be able to share it with the next person who finds themselves in that place.”
The actor's family shares photographs with him - the last one from just a couple of days ago, which Demi Moore uploaded with him and his daughter Tallullah on the occasion of her 30th birthday - and from time to time gives small details of his health.
Until now, and after two years of diagnosis, Heming has not spoken much about her husband and how her illness has affected her and her two young daughters.
Last September, on the occasion of World Frontotemporal Dementia Awareness Week, the former model gave an interview on the morning television program
Today
, one of the most watched in the United States. Then, through tears, she admitted that “ It's hard to know if Bruce is aware of what's happening to him."
“It is hard for the diagnosed person.
It is also difficult for the family.
And that's no different for Bruce or me or our girls.
When they say it is a family disease, it really is,” she acknowledged.
"Understanding what was happening, being able to accept what is, doesn't make it any less painful, but just being aware of what's happening to Bruce makes it a little bit easier."
The aphasia that first affected the actor caused damage to his language, but the dementia is becoming more aggressive.
Willis, who became a grandfather for the first time nine months ago, hardly goes outside anymore, and when he did it was common to see some photographers behind him.
Heming begged them to please stop chasing him, because they were yelling at him to get his attention and endangering his safety.