Ever since Bruce Willis was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, his wife, Heming Willis, has been open with sharing the struggles her husband is going through, but also how they as a family feel. Now, as Christmas arrives, the 47-year-old writes on her blog about the struggles her family has faced over the holidays.
She began her blog post, “The holidays have a way of holding up a mirror, reflecting who we’ve been, who we are, and what we imagined they would be. When you’re caring for someone with dementia, that reflection can feel especially poignant. Traditions that once felt somewhat effortless require planning- lots of planning. Moments that once brought uncomplicated joy may arrive tangled in a web of grief. I know this because I’m living it. Yet despite that, there can still be meaning. There can still be warmth. There can still be joy. I’ve learned that the holidays don’t disappear when dementia enters your life. They change.”
Bruce Willis’ wife Emma Heming Willis shares update
Emma Heming Willis continued by speaking about grief.
“Before anything else, I want to say this, it’s okay to grieve. Grief doesn’t only belong to death. It belongs to change, and the ambiguous loss caregivers know so well. It belongs to the realization that things won’t unfold the way they once did, it belongs to the absence of routines, conversations, or roles that were once so familiar you never imagined them ending.” Continue reading…
