Bruce Willis made a rare appearance in Los Angeles on Saturday as he was taken on a ride around the neighbourhood.
The 68-year-old actor was pictured in the passenger seat of his vehicle wearing a black hoodie for the outing.
In March of this year, Bruce’s family announced that he had been diagnosed with Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) – an uncommon form of dementia that causes a deterioration in behaviour, personality and language.
Last month, Glenn Gordon Caron, who created Bruce’s star-making 1980s sitcom Moonlighting, shared his experiences of visiting the movie star amid his illness.
‘My sense is the first one to three minutes he knows who I am,’ said Glenn in his devastating interview with Page Six. ‘He’s not totally verbal; he used to be a voracious reader – he didn’t want anyone to know that – and he’s not reading now.’
Getting some fresh air: Bruce Willis made a rare appearance in Los Angeles on Saturday as he was taken on a ride around the neighbourhood
Back in the day: In March, Bruce’s family announced that he had been diagnosed with Frontotemporal dementia and it was revealed he is losing his ‘joie de vivre’ (pictured in 1985)
Glenn, who also created the show Medium, revealed: ‘All those language skills are no longer available to him, and yet he’s still Bruce.’
He added: ‘When you’re with him you know that he’s Bruce and you’re grateful that he’s there, but the joie de vivre is gone.’
Bruce is currently being cared for by his wife Emma Heming, with whom he shares his two younger daughters Mabel, 11, and Evelyn, nine.
He also has three adult daughters – Rumer, 35, Scout, 32, and Tallulah, 29 – with his ex-wife Demi Moore, who has stayed famously friendly with both him and Emma.
Emma recently spoke about her experiences as a carer as she penned an article for Maria Shriver’s The Sunday Paper in honour of November being National Caregiver Month.
The doting wife and mother wrote that finding community is important, sharing: ‘With a specific diagnosis, you have a chance to find a community. You get to connect with people who understand your story immediately.
‘You don’t even have to explain yourself. The people I’ve met and interviewed in the FTD community have so much compassion, and are so determined to make things better for the next family.’
Awareness about the condition, she advised, is crucial.
‘The world needs to know that not all dementia is Alzheimer’s and that not all dementia impacts memory,’ she stated.
‘A disease like FTD presents instead with changes to behavior, personality, language, or movement.’
Sad update: Last month, Glenn Gordon Caron, who created Bruce’s star-making 1980s sitcom Moonlighting, shared his experiences of visiting the movie star amid his illness
Family: Bruce pictured with (L-R) wife Emma Heming, daughters Evelyn, nine, Tallulah, 29, Scout, 32, Mabel, 11, ex-wife Demi Moore and daughter Rumer, 35
The advocate said she was ‘inspired and motivated’ by those who have brought attention to other conditions, ‘the changes that have followed have been remarkable.’
Research for FTD is underway and she revealed that ‘the first disease-modifying treatments for FTD are in clinical trials right now,’ and that participants were being actively recruited.
‘Now is the time for our community to take action to end this disease,’ she contended.
Emma relayed that since The Sixth Sense star’s diagnosis, she has become a more compassionate person.
‘I find that I’m able to hold more space for what others might be going through. I’m holding gratitude as well as grief.’
She added that she also wants to set an example for her daughters through her advocacy, ‘working with others, fighting through the stigma and isolation that a disease like this can bring.’
The former Victoria’s Secret model wrote she understands that her family’s celebrity means they have access to resources other might not be able to afford and ‘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.’
The Make Time Wellness founder closed by saying she has more hope now than when the Die Hard star was first diagnosed.
‘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 claimed
‘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.’
Bruce Willis’ devastating double diagnosis explained: How aphasia can lead to dementia
