Bruce Willis' family determined to make Christmas 'special' for him amid dementia battle

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Since Bruce Willis was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, his family has made every effort to spend as much time as possible with him, aware that any given day may be his last.

According to a source, Bruce's family is expected to spend the holidays together, including his five daughters, his wife Emma Heming, and his ex-wife Demi Moore.

"Christmas will be very special for the family this year. And bittersweet, too," the source stated, per OK! Magazine.

This Christmas could be Bruce Willis 'last one'

The 'Die Hard' actor, 68, suffers from frontotemporal dementia (FTR), an uncommon form of the disease that results in a decline in behavior, personality, and language.

An insider claims that though the situation is depressing, it has actually "brought the whole family closer together" as they come together to support Bruce Willis.

The insider told a magazine, "It’s heartbreaking as his memory gets worse, but his love never falters. His eyes still light up around his loved ones, who cherish every single day with Bruce."

"But this Christmas just feels different, because — you never know — it could be his last," the insider added.

An insider explained the family's Christmas celebration plans: "The idea is to follow their Christmas tradition, with the whole family flying out to Idaho."

"The backup plan, in case they need to make it easier for Bruce, is to stay in LA," the insider added.

According to the insider, the loved ones are excited to "look at old photos, which Bruce loves to do, play games, and of course wear matching pajamas" wherever they end up getting together.

Furthermore, Bruce will be celebrating his first Christmas as a grandfather because Rumer, 35, the oldest child of Bruce and Moore, welcomed a daughter this year.

Bruce Willis 'lights up' around loved ones

In a recent 'Vogue' interview, Bruce and Demi's daughter Tallulah, 29, provided an update on her father's new life.

The actor's verbal skills are deteriorating, but he still "lights up" around loved ones and can walk without difficulty, shared his daughter Tallulah.

She told Vogue at the time: "These days, my dad can be reliably found on the first floor of the house, somewhere in the big open plan of the kitchen-dining-living room, or in his office."

"Thankfully, dementia has not affected his mobility. That office has always been a kind of window into what he’s most interested in at any given moment."

Tallulah continued: "He still knows who I am and lights up when I enter the room. He may always know who I am, give or take the occasional bad day."

"One difference between FTD [frontotemporal dementia] and Alzheimer’s dementia is that, at least early in the disease, the former is characterized by language and motor deficits, while the latter features more memory loss," she explained.

Glenn Gordon Caron, a former co-star, recently spoke about Bruce's enthusiasm for life, calling it "mind-blowing" that he was now seeing the world "through a screen door."

Former coworker Gordon Caron stated in October that the father of five is "not totally verbal."

'Moonlighting' and 'Medium' creator Gordon Caron said in a heartbreaking interview with Page Six: "My sense is the first one to three minutes he knows who I am. 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."

"So the idea that he now sees life through a screen door, if you will, makes very little sense. He’s really an amazing guy," Gordon Caron added.