It’s never easy to get a neurocognitive disorder diagnosis from a doctor. It’s just not what anyone wants to hear. Emma Heming Willis is making sure people know that it is not the end of the line. Her husband, actor Bruce Willis, was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia in February 2023.
On Sunday, March 3, 2024, Emma took to Instagram to push back against some of the press coverage of Bruce’s journey. She wants others to know that while it is hard it is not devoid of love and joy. She has had it with clickbait headlines.
Emma was moved to make her two posts because she was scrolling the internet and found an article about her family. It wasn’t true and she got triggered. “The headline basically says there is no more joy in my husband. Now, I can just tell you, that is far from the truth,” she stated.
Emma wants people to do better. “I need society — and whoever’s writing these stupid headlines — to stop scaring people,” she urged. “Stop scaring people to think that once they get a diagnosis of some kind of neurocognitive disease that that’s it. ‘It’s over. Let’s pack it up. We’re — Nothing else to see here. We’re done.’ No.”
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Emma explains that her family’s experience has been the “complete opposite” of the headline. “There is grief and sadness. There’s all of that. But you start a new chapter,” she explained. The new season of life is full of “love, it’s filled with connection, it’s filled with joy, it’s filled with happiness."
She wanted to make sure people knew that. "That’s where we are. So stop with these stupid headlines. These stupid clickbaity things that freak people out. Stop doing that. There’s nothing to see here, OK?" she urged.
Emma isn’t just posting on Instagram. She is taking action through her wellness brand Make Time. She and business partner Helen Christoni want women to focus on brain health.
Emma was inspired by Bruce but also has experience with brain fog herself. She went to the doctor and learned the term. "My brain was suffering, and I could feel it," she explained. "Why is the focus on the rest of our body when really our brain is our biggest asset and the one that we should be really looking after?"
Emma is thankful for a strong support system that helps her care for Bruce and help others through her brand. "I’ve been able to lean in on this new community I find myself in, so giving back to people who are on this journey as care partners has been super meaningful," she gushed. "Community is everything."
