Heming Willis

Emma Heming Willis recently opened up to People magazine about the downfall she faced in being a caregiver to her husband, Bruce Willis. Willis is, of course the legendary actor that dominated movie theatres in the 90’s and 2000’s with movies like Die Hard, Pulp Fiction, and The Whole Nine Yards. He officially retired in 2022 after being diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia. In her interview, Heming said of her husband’s diagnosis, ‘We received a diagnosis and sent away with no hope, no guidance, no nothing, and I really had to figure out how to put resources into place. And it was a lot of searching the Internet, trying to figure things out. I think that was my downfall. I thought that that’s what I was supposed to do. What I’ve learned in all of this is that the most important person is the caregiver. We have to care for the caregiver, because when we care for ourselves, we can then show up for the person that we love.’ Following his diagnosis, Heming became an advocate and an ally from caregivers everywhere. Here, we break down the hardships of becoming a full-time caregiver to a spouse. We explain how and why the well-being and mental health of the caregiver is almost forgotten about when a spouse suddenly becomes ill. And we explore what the caregiver can do to strengthen their relationship with not only their spouse, but with one’s self as well to make sure they’re being fully present. Let’s discuss…