Bruce Willis’ wife, Emma Heming Willis, marked the actor’s 68th birthday by posting a vulnerable video message on social media.
In it instagram clip, Heming Willis revealed her secret to staying “so strong” after her husband was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia: “He has no choice.” Willis’s family shared in February that the “Die Hard” star’s condition had “progressed” since she was initially diagnosed with aphasia.
“Today is my husband’s birthday,” Heming Willis said Sunday.
“I started the morning crying, as you can see by my swollen eyes and runny nose. I think it’s important that you see all sides of this. …People always tell me… ‘You’re so strong. I do not know how you do it. They don’t give me a choice. I wish it was.
Heming Willis’ latest post comes almost exactly one year after Willis’ family released a statement confirming his aphasia diagnosis and announcing the Emmy winner’s retirement from acting. She now lives with frontotemporal dementia, which can affect the patient’s personality, decision-making skills, understanding of speech and language, according to the Association. of Frontotemporal Degeneration.
“I’m also raising two kids on this, so sometimes in our lives we have to put on our big girl panties and do it, and that’s what I’m doing,” said Heming Willis, who shares young daughters Evelyn and Mabel. with her husband.
“But I have moments of sadness every day, pain every day. And I’m really feeling it today on his birthday.”
Heming Willis has continued to be open on social media about how his family has been dealing with the “Sixth Sense” actor’s illness in an effort to raise awareness for the disorder. Earlier this month, she uploaded a video of herself begging the paparazzi to stop yelling at Willis and to “give her her space” when she’s out in public.
“If you are someone who is caring for someone with dementia, you know how difficult and stressful it can be to get someone out into the world and navigate it safely,” Heming Willis said at the time. “Even just for a cup of coffee.”
On Sunday, she admitted that compiling images for an upcoming Instagram Reel in honor of Willis’s birthday was a painful experience.
“I don’t know why I do that to myself because the videos are like a knife in my heart,” she said.
“But as much as I do it for myself, I do it for you. Because I know how much you love my husband and don’t cry Emma he means a lot to me. So thanks.”
