Bruce Willis’ wife, Emma Hemming Willis, stepped out for her first FTD fundraiser after vowing to fans that she will do everything she can to support the cause.
The former model attended the seventh annual AFTD’s Hope Rising Benefit on Tuesday (March 14) in New York City. The event raised over $1.8 million that will go to support those people affected by Frontotemporal dementia.
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After attending the glamourous red-carpet gala, Emma Emming Willis posted a video on her Instagram page that recapped her night.
“Hope was indeed rising in our FTD (frontotemporal dementia) community last night in New York,” she wrote in a caption. “Thank you for welcoming me @theaftd to my new home. It’s not the room I ever dreamed of being in. But let me tell you, it’s a room of fierce love and resilience. I’m here to join the cause alongside all of you.”
“If you are in need of FTD support, please lean on @theaftd as they have been an invaluable resource to myself and family on this journey,” she noted.
Emma’s husband of nearly 14 years, Bruce Willis was recently diagnosed with FTD. The disorder, which is similar to Alzheimer’s, causes the brain’s frontal and temporal lobes to atrophy. As a result, patients will have symptoms such as changes in personality, communication problems, and emotional issues.
FTD can also cause a loss of motor skills and the symptoms progress over time. People typically begin experiencing problems between the ages of 40 and 65. Bruce Willis is 68 and started having problems in recent years. However, doctors believed he was struggling with Aphasia, which is a brain condition that affects a person’s ability to speak and understand language.
Emma Hemming Willis Says She ‘Will Always Advocate’ For Husband Bruce
Emma Hemming Willis announced her husband’s condition in February. And she has been diligently advocating for him and others with the condition in the weeks that have followed.
Recently, she unnecessarily came under fire for asking reporters to keep their space from him when he’s out in public. For some reason, people lashed out at her claiming she was using Bruce’s diagnosis as a means of getting attention.
Emma quickly responded to those claims and announced that she will continue to be a voice for everyone dealing with the disease, which is one of the reasons she made an appearance at the New Gala this week.
“I just saw something about me getting my five minutes, which is great, Which means that you’re listening,” she said in an Instagram video. “So I’m going to take my five minutes, and I’m going to turn it into 10 because I’m always going to advocate for my husband.”
“And while I’m at it, I’m going to raise awareness around FTD and for caregivers, who are our unsung heroes out there,” she continued. “And then—and then—I am going to turn my grief and my anger and my sadness and do something good around something that feels less than.”