Bruce Willis’ Wife Says She Feels “Guilt” Amid Actor’s Dementia Diagnosis

deadline.com:

Bruce Willis was diagnosed with dementia and his wife Emma Heming Willis is opening up about the struggles and lessons amid the actor’s health journey.

In an essay published in Maria Shriver’s Sunday Paper, Emma talks about the “guilt” she feels knowing that there are other people in a similar situation as her without the resources the Willis family has. “I struggle with guilt, knowing that I have resources that others don’t.

When I’m able to get out for a hike to clear my head, it’s not lost on me that not all care partners can do that,” she writes. “When what I share about our family’s journey gets press attention, I know that there are many thousands of untold, unheard stories, each of them deserving of compassion and concern.” However, Emma hopes that generating attention for frontotemporal dementia, known as FTD, helps other people “feel seen and understood.” “I want people to know that when I hear from another family affected by FTD, I hear our family’s same story of grief, loss, and immense sadness echoed in theirs.

It’s important to me to be an advocate on behalf of those families who don’t have the time, energy, or resources to advocate for themselves,” she adds.