Emma Heming has launched a new charity dedicated to dementia research as her husband, Bruce Willis, fights the devastating disease.
She announced the Emma & Bruce Willis Fund for Dementia Research and Caregiver Support while accepting the Susan Newhouse & Si Newhouse Award of Hope at The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration’s Hope Rising Benefit in New York.
“This journey has opened my eyes to the realities so many families face when a loved one is living with frontotemporal dementia,” Heming, 47, said on Thursday.
“I believe deeply in the importance of supporting research while also showing up for the caregivers who carry so much every day.”
Hemming said that, through the fund, she wants “to help deepen understanding” of frontotemporal dementia and “ensure families facing it feel seen, supported, and less alone.”
“Bruce has always led with generosity and heart,” she added, “and I know he would be proud to see this effort helping families facing this disease.”
Heming announced the new charity on Instagram with a similar statement, sharing a photo of the two cuddled up.
The official Instagram page for the Emma & Bruce Willis Fund says the charity “works to confront frontotemporal dementia by raising awareness, funding promising research, and supporting caregivers.”
Willis, 70, was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTP) in 2023.
FTP is a neurological disorder characterized by language problems, behavioral changes and mobility issues. There is no cure.
Heming, who tied the knot with the “Die Hard” actor in 2009, previously admitted she questioned the state of the couple’s marriage before Willis’ diagnosis.
“He felt a little removed, a little cold, not like Bruce, who is very warm and affectionate,” she recalled during an interview with ABC News’ Diane Sawyer last year.
“To go the complete opposite of that was alarming and scary. I didn’t understand what was happening and I thought just, like, ‘How can I remain in a marriage that doesn’t feel like what we had?’” Heming added.
Once Willis got his diagnosis, Heming “panicked” and felt like she “was free-falling.”
Heming has also revealed that Willis is living in a separate home with full-time care as his dementia battle progresses.
She told Sayer, “Bruce would want that for our daughters. He would want them to be in a home that was more tailored to their needs, not his needs.”
Willis shares Mabel, 13, and Evelyn, 11, with Heming. He’s also the father of Rumer, 37, Scout, 34, and Tallulah, 32, with ex-wife Demi Moore.
In January, Heming admitted on the “Conversations with Cam” podcast that Willis “never connected” the dots that he has dementia.
“I think that’s the blessing and the curse of this, Bruce never tapped in,” she explained. “I’m really happy about that, that he doesn’t know about it.”
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