‘Why him, why us’: Bruce Willis’ wife Emma Heming marks anniversary with emotional tribute amid actor’s battle with dementia

As many watched Die Hard over the holidays (and debated whether it’s really a Christmas movie), no one can forget the struggles Bruce Willis and his family have faced over the last few years. Now his wife Emma Heming Willis has shared a beautiful and devastating Instagram post to celebrate their 17th anniversary.

Heming Willis posted a picture of her and her husband on the beach and wrote that although anniversaries were once about “excitement,” now these celebratory occasions “stir up all the feelings.” She wrote, “I give myself 30 minutes to sit in the ‘why him, why us,’ to feel the anger and grief.” Then she explained that their relationship is all about “unconditional love,” which is what she always remembers. Heming Willis added, “I’d do it all over again and again in a heartbeat” (and now everyone is sobbing).

Heming Willis has talked about how tough life has been since her husband’s frontotemporal dementia diagnosis. After the Willis family explained that he had aphasia in 2022, they learned it was FTD.

According to People, the couple got married in 2009, and had their daughters Evelyn Penn and Mabel Ray in 2014 and 2012. Dr. Gregg Day told NBC News, “Difficulty with language and understanding, as well as misinterpreting instructions could be symptoms of FTD.” The diagnosis is such a gut punch because people don’t recover from it. It’s possible that someone can live for two years once they have received the diagnosis, but they could also survive over a decade with it.

However, Willis and Heming Willis shared many happy years together before Willis got sick, and her anniversary post is a beautiful reminder that they are still finding love and happiness with each other. Anyone who is supporting a partner through a chronic illness can unfortunately and tragically relate to this challenging experience where two things are true at once. While you cherish the time you have with your loved one, you also can’t help but think about how different life is now. For Willis, that also meant that he no longer acts, which is just one of the many upsetting parts of this condition.

In an interview with Town and Country Magazine, Heming Willis talked about letting her daughters know about what was going on. She said, “I’ve never tried to sugarcoat anything for them. They’ve grown up with Bruce declining over the years.” She also proved that she is honoring who Willis is when she explained, “I’m not going to allow FTD to take our whole family down. Bruce wouldn’t want that.”

Heming Willis shared in her Town and Country interview that Willis’s daughters are always behind her and lend an ear when she wants to talk about what’s going on.

Although of course it’s heart wrenching to her about Willis’s condition, it has been beautiful to see how much his family cares about him. Heming Willis shares pieces of their family life on her Instagram account, along with videos and photos of her husband. She has also become an advocate for those struggling with FTD. In 2023, she created the supplement brand Make Time Wellness, which has powders and vitamins that women can take to help their brains. As the holiday season wraps up and people reflect on good times spent with family, Heming Willis’s message is a reminder that we can all appreciate the “unconditional love” we have in our lives.