"I am going to turn my grief and my anger and my sadness and do something good around something that feels less than," she said.
After Bruce Willis was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, his supportive spouse Emma Heming Willis is making every effort to fight for him. In a video posted to her Instagram account on Tuesday, February 7, Emma, 44, reacted to claims that she was "getting her five minutes" because of her 67-year-old husband's health problems, per PEOPLE. She stated in the caption of the post that she had "sat around quietly for too long." In the video, she began by saying, "I just saw something about me getting my five minutes, which is great, which means that you're listening. So I'm going to take my five minutes, and I'm going to turn it into 10 because I'm always going to advocate for my husband."
She emphasized that she would keep spreading the word about the illness and continued by saying, "I am going to turn my grief and my anger and my sadness and do something good around something that feels less than. So, watch this space because I didn't come to play."
The video follows Emma's Saturday Instagram PSA, in which she asked paparazzi to "keep your space" around the Die Hard actor after he was approached while he was at a coffee shop with pals. "If you are someone who is looking after someone with dementia, you know how difficult and stressful it can be to get someone out into the world and to navigate them safely, even just to get a cup of coffee," she said in the video, appreciating Bruce's friends who did a "stand-up job" protecting him.
"It's clear that there's still a lot of education that needs to be put forth," she continued. "So this one is going out to the photographers and the video people that are trying to get those exclusives of my husband out and about. Just keep your space."
Last week, the mom of two posted a photo on Instagram with dementia care and education specialist Teepa Snow. Emma thanked the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration for the assistance she's so far gotten in figuring out Bruce's condition. "I'm grateful I had the opportunity to work with @teepasnows_pac who has helped me add to my dementia care toolbox," she wrote. "She's a loving, compassionate, and skilled leader in this space who navigates herself with pure empathy. She's a gift. Head to the link in my bio as her website has a wealth of caregiving information you might find useful too."
Since Bruce's diagnosis, his family has been helping him "live as full a life as possible." They wrote in a statement shared on the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration's website, "Bruce has always found joy in life – and has helped everyone he knows to do the same. It has meant the world to see that sense of care echoed back to him and to all of us. We have been so moved by the love you have all shared for our dear husband, father, and friend during this difficult time. Your continued compassion, understanding, and respect will enable us to help Bruce live as full a life as possible."
References:
https://www.theaftd.org/mnlstatement23/
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cpf2KBOOVc7/
Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Dimitrios Kambouris
