Bruce Willis’ Daughter Shares Memories of Them Amidst His Health Issues
When life threw the Willis family a curve ball, Bruce Willis’ daughter, Tallulah, expressed her love for her dad on Instagram.
Sometimes, sickness can make people truly evaluate what they have in their lives. It can make us nostalgic; the fear of losing them all too soon against the inevitable will make us seek refuge in the memories of when things were much simpler. With the former Die Hard actor beginning his battle against frontotemporal dementia (FTD), Bruce Willis’ daughter, Tallulah, praised her father in a heartfelt note on Instagram while sharing some throwback photos of them as father and daughter.
“Damn, these photos are hitting tonight. You’re my whole damn heart and I’m so proud to be your Tallulah Belle Bruce Willis,” writes the 29-year-old.
The Destruction Dementia Leaves Behind
Dementia is a slow and degrading process with the variety that Bruce Willis has resulting in his retirement as it affected both his language and behavior. There will be days that he will be himself but, there are also days when it’s the “dementia” talking. However, there is a silver lining to find, according to Tallulah, during her stint with actress and talk show host Drew Barrymore on the latter’s namesake show.
“He is the same, which I think in this regard I’ve learned is the best thing you can ask for,” Tallulah reveals in an update on her dad’s condition. “I love it when I’m with him. It’s my dad and he loves me, which is really special.”
Although the Willis family has been struggling, they’ve transformed the damage Frontotemporal Dementia has done to them as a motivator to help other families going through the same thing.
“I think it’s twofold. On one hand, it’s who we are as a family, but also, it’s really important for us to spread awareness,” she explains. “If we can take something that we’re struggling with as a family to help other people, to turn it around to make something beautiful about it, that’s really special for us.”
But one way that Tallulah makes sure she stays geared up for the fight to spread awareness is by becoming her dad’s “archaeologist.” She elaborates, “Part of what’s been a really beautiful way for me to heal through this is becoming an archeologist to my dad’s [Bruce Willis’] stuff, his world, his little trinkets and doodads.”
A Test of a Family’s Resilience and Love
Some diseases cause the inevitable because Science has not caught up to them yet. However, it’s during these times when families need to draw strength from all the good memories from the healthier and simpler days. Dementia is a disease that affects every family member: both directly and indirectly. While Bruce certainly deals with the frustration of watching himself degrade, the rest of the Willis family, those who do not have the disease, look for ways to cope and make lives easier while trying to separate the disease’s personality from him. But Bruce Willis won’t be fighting this disease alone; he has his daughters and the whole family fighting alongside him to spread awareness of the destruction dementia leaves behind.
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