Bruce Willis’ wife Emma Heming narrated a conversation she had with a “prominent doctor”
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The doctor spoke to her about a patient’s diagnosis of young-onset Alzheimer’s and their family, which includes three children aged 10, 12, and 14.
“He needs all of my resources, any contacts,” Emma said as she explained the doctor’s request.
“And I was like: ‘Huh?’” she added.
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Emma revealed that she was more than happy to share her contacts and resources with the doctor, but she was surprised they didn’t already have the resources to help their patient.
“The thing that just boggles my mind is how do our doctors not already have a Rolodex of ways to support caregivers,” she told her audience.
Emma said she couldn’t understand how doctors do not already have a Rolodex of resources
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She also noted how she receives messages from family members dealing with dementia diagnoses, who also have questions about resources.
Sometimes, these families might not even be in the same city or state as her, she noted.
When the action hero received his diagnosis, all that Emma received was a “pamphlet”
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“It’s just like, they need to do better. Doctors need to do better,” she said. “Doctors really do need to have a road map of just some support.”
She revealed that she touches upon the subject in her upcoming book The Unexpected Journey: Finding Hope And Purpose On The Caregiving Path.
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When her action hero husband Bruce received his diagnosis, she admitted that a pamphlet was all she got.
“I was not handed one resource and we gotta put an end to that,” she added.
“Doctors need to do better,” said the Die Hard actor’s unwavering partner
Emma’s brief heart-to-heart came shortly after she spoke about the late Gene Hackman and his longtime wife and caregiver, Betsy Arakawa.
Betsy’s decomposing body was found in their Santa Fe home on February 26.
Officials believe she passed away on February 11 from hantavirus, which spreads by contact with rodents or their urine or feces.
Emma touched upon the passing of Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa in a recent video
Image credits: Jim Smeal/Ron Galella Collection
Gene, who was in the advanced stages of Alzheimer’s disease and might not even have been aware of his wife’s passing in the same house, is believed to have passed away on February 18 from hypertensive atherosclerosis cardiovascular disease.
After details about their passing were released, Emma said in a video that the discovery is a reminder of how caregivers need care too.
Emma said there is a “broader story” in the discovery of Gene and his wife’s bodies
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“The tragic passing of Mr. and Mrs. Hackman” made her “think of this broader story,” she said.
“Caregivers need care too,” she told her audience. “And that they are vital, and that it is so important that we show up for them so that they can continue to show up for their person.”
She asserted that it’s a “misconception” that caregivers have “got it figured out [or] they’re good.”
“I think that we need to be showing up for them so that they can continue to show up for their person,” she concluded.
Emma married Bruce in March 2009 and welcomed two daughters, Mabel Ray, 12, and Evelyn, 10, with him.
The Die Hard star is also a father to daughters Rumer, 36, Scout, 33, and Tallulah, 31, whom he shares with ex-wife Demi Moore.
The action hero shares three daughters with ex-wife Demi Moore and two daughters with Emma Heming
Image credits: demimoore
Bruce retreated from the spotlight in 2022 after his family announced in March 2022 that he was diagnosed with aphasia, a condition that affects one’s ability to communicate.
They later said in February 2023 that the Hollywood icon has frontotemporal dementia (FTD), which can include speaking and writing challenges associated with the effects of aphasia.
Weeks after the announcement, she requested that paparazzi stop photographing her husband when he was out and about.
“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,” she said in March 2023. “Just keep your space.”
Requesting photographers not yell or ask her how he’s doing, she asked them to allow Bruce and whoever he is accompanied by to “safely” get from “point A to point B.”
Bruce’s family announced that he has frontotemporal dementia (FTD) in 2023
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Back in September 2022, Emma was branded a “drama queen” by internet trolls after sharing a post about her husband’s health on National Grief Awareness Day.
She said the grief was “paralyzing,” but noted she discovered new hobbies along the way and stayed active.
Emma has long been vocal about her journey since her husband’s diagnosis
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After criticism for her comments, she clapped back at haters, who asked her to “stop whining” because she could “cope just fine with his $$$.”
“When you marry an old man DECADES older than you are, you become their caregivers,” read one of the messages. “That’s what you signed up for deal with it and stop complaining.”
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Emma shared screenshots of the hateful comments and wrote, “When you’re not allowed to talk grief, self-care, or being human in the world on grief awareness day.”
“My gawd,” she added. “But in the words of the great, philosophical, insightful Bruce Willis … ‘Ah, f*** em.’”
Netizens agreed that “caregiver burnout is real” after watching Emma’s video
