Bruce Willis‘s wife Emma Heming Willis has occasionally talked about their lives following his frontotemporal dementia diagnosis in 2023. Now, she’s opened up about managing her own health while also caring for her husband.
In a chat with People, Emma noted that she’s had issues with the health of her brain in the past and says she wasn’t always taken seriously by doctors. In turn, she wanted to “dig deeper and advocate for [her]self a little bit more.”
“I think as women in society, we tend to put ourselves last, and we put everyone’s needs above our own,” she said. “And what I’ve realized is that if you are not caring for yourself, if you are not finding ways to make time for your health, your hobbies, it’s impossible to be able to care for the people that we love.”
Emma Heming Willis Discusses the ‘Importance’ of Self-Care
GettyAfter Bruce was diagnosed with dementia and Emma became his caregiver, she started advocating for those who take care of others to also take care of themselves.
People explained that as Emma “educated herself, she quickly learned jarring statistics about the overall health and well-being of caregivers. It reminds her to stay on top of her health every day.”
Emma explained to People, “I think that 40% of caregivers aren’t making their own medical appointments and caregivers can sometimes pass before their loved ones. So that’s a reminder to keep me on track and hopefully educate people, caregiver or not, just about the importance of caring for yourself. It’s really vital.”
Emma Heming Willis Makes Sure to Take a ‘Brain Break’
Getty“It’s really easy to get bogged down with our to-do lists and our calendars,” Emma told People while discussing the responsibilities of a caregiver. She laughed while adding, “I try to have a ‘brain break’ on my calendar.”
“So I remember to step away from the screen, getting outside, making sure that I am checking the boxes on my brain health journey because that’s sort of how I care for myself now,” she explained. “I think about my brain first and the rest of my body benefits.”
“I think it’s just coming from the mindset of knowing how important I am and trying to keep sight of that,” Emma said. “We have to really learn how to value ourselves.”
