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Emma Heming Willis opens up to PEOPLE about navigating husband Bruce Willis' dementia diagnosis

She shares how she protected her family's privacy while parenting their kids

Heming Willis' forthcoming book, The Unexpected Journey , offers a roadmap for fellow caregivers

When Bruce Willis was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) in 2022 at age 67, his wife Emma Heming Willis felt wholly unmoored.

"Early on, I was very isolated. I was too scared to say anything to anyone," Emma tells PEOPLE of initially navigating Bruce's disease on her own, while trying to protect his privacy and parent their kids Mable , now 13, and Evelyn , 11. "I was in so much sadness and darkness for so long."

By the time Bruce was diagnosed — first with aphasia , a vague commu

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