It's been over two years since Bruce Willis was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (known as FTD), and his wife, Emma Heming Willis, has admitted that the first symptom he experienced that led to his diagnosis left her stunned. Appearing on Katie Couric's Next Question, Emma shared more insight into Bruce's condition and explained that, as well as FTD, Bruce has primary progressive aphasia, known as PPA. "FTD can affect people in three different ways: language, movement, or behavior. These are like the subtypes of FTD. Bruce has primary progressive aphasia, which is known as PPA, [so] FTD [and] PPA," she said.
Discussing her shock over his first symptom, Emma explained that it was Bruce's speech that first indicated something was wrong. "So, for him, I start noticing, just, his stutter. He had a severe stutter as a child, and it started to come back," she said. "You know, never in my wildest dreams did I think this was a symptom of young-onset dementia."
She continued: "A doctor at UCFF, his name is Bruce Millier, he's an incredible neurologist, he said that some of the things to look out for, if you're in your 40s, 50s, 60s, when you should be very grounded in your life, you're holding a job, you're raising your family. If you start seeing someone change their personality, or start changing so drastically, that is a change in the brain, and that needs to be addressed."
Sharing Bruce's experience, Emma said: "For Bruce and his experience, his stutter came back, words weren't coming as naturally to him, which is just so wild because he is all about words. It was very confusing. I felt like we were so aligned, and there was something just off. It's so gray and ambiguous to say, 'Well, what was the thing?' It just wasn't the person I married.
"Bruce was very different, and I just couldn't put my finger on it. There just comes a point where you have to take the bull by the horns and be like, 'Enough is enough." You know in your gut, you know your person better than anyone, and you have to know that it is ok to advocate. You need to raise your hand, you need to get to the doctor, and you need to have your doctor listen."
© Getty ImagesEmma has been caring for Bruce since he was diagnosed in early 2023, and during last month's ABC special Emma and Bruce Willis: The Unexpected Journey with Diane Sawyer, she revealed that she had moved Bruce into a separate one-storey house with a full-time care team. "It was one of the hardest decisions that I've had to make so far," the mother of two explained.
© Pacific Press
© Instagram"But I knew, first and foremost, Bruce would want that for our daughters. You know, he would want them to be in a home that was more tailored to their needs, not his needs." Their "second home" was converted into a more comfortable and quieter space for Bruce, making it easier for him to navigate.
