Emma Heming Willis is prepping a new book about her experiences as a caretaker for her husband, Bruce Willis, who is living with frontotemporal dementia.
The as-yet-untitled book will be published in 2025 (no exact date yet) via Maria Shriver’s publishing imprint, the Open Field. In a press release, the book is described as a “supportive and inspiring guide” for those with a loved one suffering from dementia, featuring interviews, expert advice, and personal stories.
“Dementia not only affects your loved one but can shake a whole family’s foundation, and self, if you allow it,” Heming Willis said in a statement. “Identifying the right resources to educate and enlighten myself has been powerful and has allowed me the space to continue to move forward in the most positive way so that I can be the best mother, wife, daughter, friend, and care partner. I want to be able to share that with the next person who finds themselves here.”
Willis’ family announced the actor’s retirement in 2022 after he was diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disease aphasia, which had been “impacting his cognitive abilities.” About a year later, the family shared an update saying Willis was suffering from frontotemporal dementia (FTD), which was likely causing his aphasia.
“Today there are no treatments for the disease, a reality that we hope can change in the years ahead,” Willis’ family said in a statement. “As Bruce’s condition advances, we hope that any media attention can be focused on shining a light on this disease that needs far more awareness and research.”
A Los Angeles Times report from 2022 also suggested Willis’ cognitive decline had long been apparent. According to the story, Willis often struggled to remember lines, sometimes exhibited confusion about his whereabouts, and allegedly, while making one movie, fired a prop gun on the wrong cue.
Since the family announced Willis’ retirement and went public with his diagnosis, Heming Willis has been candid about her husband’s condition, as well as the challenges of juggling her grief and her duties as a caretaker. In an interview on Today last September, Heming Willis said, “It’s hard on the person diagnosed, it’s also hard on the family. And that is no different for Bruce, or myself, or our girls. When they say this is a family disease, it really is.”
