Bruce Willis' wife Emma Heming has revealed she is taking part in brain health studies, as she continues to raise awareness of and finding a cure for neurodegenerative diseases including frontotemporal dementia which her husband was diagnosed with in 2023.
Emma posted a video to Stories which saw her having blood drawn before it cut to a centrifuge, which separates fluids of different densities.
"Participating in an advanced brain health study, excited and hopeful things are on the horizon for neurodegenerative diseases," she captioned the post, adding the hashtag "hope". Watch the video here:
Emma, 49, has been vocal about the highs and lows of Bruce's frontotemporal dementia diagnosis, which the 69-year-old received in 2023.
FTD can cause trouble communicating and difficulty walking, among other conditions, and the family – wife Emma, ex-wife Demi Moore, and his three eldest daughters, Rumer, Tallulah and Scout – confirmed at the time that there had been issues with "communication" for the acting icon.
"Unfortunately, challenges with communication are just one symptom of the disease Bruce faces. While this is painful, it is a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis," they said.
© InstagramEmma is now his caregiver and is also raising their daughters 12-year-old Mabel and 10-year-old Evelyn.
This journey has seen Emma put her focus on family support for those whose loved ones have younger-onset dementia, praising Lorenzo's House, a "start-up designing cost-free holistic care for loved ones and their families".
© Instagram"I can't talk about Lorenzo's House without getting emotional. Their mission is so beautiful and speaks to me in such a deep way," she told followers on social media, adding: "As I'm on this journey… It's still very difficult for me to navigate and talk about and I do so, but I do so when I can do it. When I feel emotionally stable to do it."
"I have to make a conscious effort every single day to live the best life that I can. I do that for myself. I do that for our two children and Bruce, who would not want me to live any other way," she also told fans.
© InstagramFTD refers to a group of disorders caused by progressive nerve cell loss in the brain's frontal lobes or its temporal lobes. The nerve cell damage caused by frontotemporal dementia leads to loss of function in these brain regions, which then causes deterioration in behavior, personality, and/or difficulty with producing or comprehending language.
Symptoms of FTD start gradually and progress steadily, and often include dramatic behavioral changes such as swearing, impaired judgment, emotional withdrawal from others, loss of energy, and less frequent speech.
There are no specific treatments for FTD, which gets worse over time, with the speed of decline differing from person to person.
