Emma Heming 'Struggles With Guilt' as Bruce Willis' Dementia Battle Continues
Despite Bruce Willis' heartbreaking dementia diagnosis, Emma Heming knows she's fortunate.
In an article the model, 45, wrote for Maria Shriver's Sunday Paper, she reflected on being her husband's caretaker as he continues to battle frontotemporal dementia, which causes difficulties in communication and physicality.
"I struggle with guilt, knowing that I have resources that others don't," the mother-of-two – who shares daughters Mabel, 11, and Evelyn, 9, with Bruce, 68 — admitted in the article published on November 11.
"When I'm able to get out for a hike to clear my head, it's not lost on me that not all care partners can do that. When what I share about our family's journey gets press attention, I know that there are many thousands of untold, unheard stories, each of them deserving of compassion and concern," she continued.
Her privilege aside, the entrepreneur feels she has stepped up to the plate to advocate for families going through similar situations.
"I see that what I share matters to others who may be struggling, and in a small way makes them feel seen and understood," Heming penned. "I want people to know that when I hear from another family affected by FTD, I hear our family's same story of grief, loss, and immense sadness echoed in theirs."
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"It's important to me to be an advocate on behalf of those families who don't have the time, energy, or resources to advocate for themselves," she continued.
"Hope is everything. I have so much more hope today than I did after Bruce was first diagnosed," the brunette beauty explained. "I understand this disease more now, and I'm now connected to an incredible community of support. I have hope in having found a new purpose — admittedly one I never would have gone looking for — using the spotlight to help and empower others."
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Heming noted that their family — which includes the Die Hard actor's ex-wife, Demi Moore, 61, and his older daughters Rumer Willis, 35, Scout Willis, 32, and Tallulah Willis, 29 — have gained intense gratitude for every second they have with the movie star.
"I have hope in how our entire family can find joy in the small things, and in coming together to celebrate all the moments life has to offer," she said. "I know I still have so much to learn about FTD, this community, and how research on the disease is evolving. But I'm finding my footing. As much as I grieve this experience daily — as I know so many others do — I also know that it has made me stronger than I ever thought possible."