Bruce Willis’ wife, Emma Heming Willis, is facing mixed feelings this holiday season following the actor’s dementia diagnosis.
Since announcing her husband’s diagnosis, Emma Heming Willis has spoken frequently about her health and the impact the disease has had on her daughters, Mabel Ray, 13, and Evelyn Penn, 11.
In a post on her blog, published on December 20 and titled “The holidays are no longer the same,” she wrote about how her feelings and Christmas traditions changed after her husband’s diagnosis.
“Traditions that once flowed naturally now require planning intense. Moments that once generated joy today come pierced by pain,” wrote Heming Willis, the actor’s main caregiver. die hard.
“I know because I’m living it. Even so, there is still meaning, warmth and joy. I learned that the holidays don’t disappear when dementia enters your life: they transform,” he wrote.
The 70-year-old actor was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and currently lives in a single-level home under the care of a full-time medical team, due to the progression of the disease and his increasing needs.
Here we take a closer look at this disease, also known as FTD.
What is DFT?
Frontotemporal dementia is an umbrella term for brain diseases that primarily affect the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain, according to the Mayo Clinic. It affects personality, behavior and language, and worsens over time, according to the charity Dementia UK.
The organization noted that FTD is a “rare” form of dementia that affects only one in 20 people diagnosed with dementia.
Willis’ family first announced his aphasia diagnosis in March 2022. Aphasia is a language disorder that hinders a person’s ability to express and understand language.
What causes FTD?
According to Dementia UK, FTD is caused by an “abnormal buildup of proteins in the brain” that damages cells. It is not known why this buildup occurs, but it is thought to have a genetic link in about a third of people diagnosed.
FTD is most common in people aged between 40 and 60, but can also affect younger or older people, according to the charity.
The NHS states that, like other forms of dementia, FTD tends to develop slowly and gradually worsen over the years.
What are the symptoms of FTD?
There are two types of frontotemporal dementia: behavioral variant FTD (bvFTD) and primary progressive aphasia (PPA).
bvFTD, which results from damage to the brain’s frontal lobes, primarily causes behavioral and personality problems.
On the other hand, PPA causes language problems when damage occurs to the temporal lobes on both sides of the head, near the ears.
Alzheimer’s UK says the symptoms of FTD are “very different” to other more common types of dementia, such as everyday memory loss, and adds that in the early stages of the disease, many people can still remember recent events.
In a previous statement, Willis’ family stated that communication problems are just one of the symptoms of the illness from which the actor suffered.
The NHS states that FTD can also cause physical problems, such as slow or stiff movements, loss of bladder control, loss of bowel control, muscle weakness or difficulty swallowing.
How is FTD treated?
According to Dementia UK, there is still no prevention or cure for FTD, and it is often best to “focus on practical strategies to help the person live as well as possible with the diagnosis.”
Willis’ family said in a previous statement that the lack of treatment for the disease was “a reality that (they hoped could) change in the coming years” with new research.
They added that as the actor’s illness progresses, they hope the media attention will help raise more awareness about FTD.
“We know in our hearts that, if I could, I would want to call global attention and connect with those who also face this debilitating disease, as well as understand how it affects people and their families,” they stated. They added: “Bruce has always found joy in life, and he has helped everyone he meets do the same.”
