Bruce Willis and Emma Heming attend the “Glass” NY Premiere at SVA Theater on January 15, 2019 in New York City.Photo:Dia Dipasupil/WireImage
Dia Dipasupil/WireImage
Emma Heming Williswants to set the record straight on how misguided media coverage of neurocognitive diseases can affect families — including her own.
“The headline basically says there is no more joy in my husband. Now, I can just tell you, that is far from the truth,” Emma said as she began the video. “I need society – and whoever’s writing these stupid headlines – to stop scaring people. 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.”
She then said that her family’s experience been the “complete opposite of that" amid Bruce’sfrontotemporal dementia(FTD) diagnosis.
“There is grief and sadness. There’s all of that. But you start a new chapter,” Emma said, adding that the new chapter is filled “with love, it’s filled with connection, it’s filled with joy, it’s filled with happiness."
“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, okay?” she continued.
Bruce Willis and Emma Heming Willis.Emma Heming Willis/Instagram
Emma Heming Willis/Instagram
In the caption, Emma reflected further on the inaccurate reporting she’d seen as she encouraged media outlets to be “mindful” of how stories about dementia are framed.
“My experience is that two things can be true and exist at the same time. Grief and deep love. Sadness and deep connection. Trauma and resilience. I had to get out of my own way to get here but once I arrived, life really started to come together with meaning and I had a true sense of purpose. There is so much beauty and soulfulness in this story,” she wrote.
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She added: “I’m not even talking about my family, I’m used to the craziness of these farfetched headlines and stories. I’m just talking about baseline dementia awareness and what’s being fed to the public. You wonder why anxiety and depression is up in our society. I honestly think part of it has to do with this kind of clickbait, how things are framed and pushed out to us and how we have a split second to take that information in. Man, it’ll do a number on my psyche.”
Through her work with Make Time, and as a caregiver to Bruce, Emma stresses the comfort one can find in a shared experience.
“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 shared. “Community is everything.”
source: people.com
