Bruce Willis' family sadly announced in February of this year that the actor had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia.
Since then, his wife, children and other loved ones have been incredibly open about their experience of the Die Hard star's illness, in the hopes of helping others who are dealing with similar situations.
Bruce's daughter Rumer Willis, the eldest of his three daughters with ex-wife Demi Moore, has just reflected on her relationship with her father at the moment in an emotional yet simple Instagram post.
Alongside an adorable childhood picture of her — looking about one or two years old — in her dad's arms, the actress wrote: "Really missing my papa today."
Her sister Tallulah Willis commented: "Love you sister"
Tallulah, Bruce's youngest daughter with Demi (he also shares two younger daughters with current wife Emma Heming Willis), also recently addressed their father's condition during an appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show.
Explaining why the Willis family is so open about Bruce's condition, Tallulah told Drew: "If we can take something that we're struggling with as a family and individually to help other people to turn around, to make something beautiful about it, that's really special for us."
Tallulah described her experience of her dad's dementia differently from her older sister. "He is the same, which I think in this regard I've learned is the best thing that you can ask for, and what I see is—I see love when I'm with him, and it's my dad, and he loves me," she said, beautifully.
Back in February, the Willis family released a statement on The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration website.
"As a family, we wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all for the outpouring of love and compassion for Bruce over the past ten months. Your generosity of spirit has been overwhelming, and we are tremendously grateful for it. For your kindness, and because we know you love Bruce as much as we do, we wanted to give you an update," they wrote.
"Since we announced Bruce’s diagnosis of aphasia in spring 2022, Bruce’s condition has progressed and we now have a more specific diagnosis: frontotemporal dementia (known as FTD). Unfortunately, challenges with communication are just one symptom of the disease Bruce faces. While this is painful, it is a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis."
The Willises went on to share a message of hope.
"Bruce has always found joy in life – and has helped everyone he knows to do the same," they wrote. "It has meant the world to see that sense of care echoed back to him and to all of us. We have been so moved by the love you have all shared for our dear husband, father, and friend during this difficult time. Your continued compassion, understanding, and respect will enable us to help Bruce live as full a life as possible."
