Emma Heming recalls 'freaking out' when trying to find out information about frontotemporal dementia before she stumbled upon Maria Kent Beers and Rachael Martinez's 'Remember Me' podcast.
- Oct 4, 2023
AceShowbiz - Emma Heming Willis has recalled "freaking out" when trying to find out information about frontotemporal dementia (FTD). The 45-year-old model revealed in February that her husband Bruce Willis had been diagnosed with the degenerative condition and she's thanked the founders of the "Remember Me" podcast for offering her a connection to other families who have a loved one with the disease.
Interviewing the podcast's founders Maria Kent Beers and Rachael Martinez, who both cared for a parent with FTD, on her "Make Time to Connect" YouTube series, Emma recalled discovering the podcast in the confusing days after Bruce's diagnosis.
She said, "I didn't know where to go, what to look up, I’m looking things up and it's freaking me out. There wasn't a lot [of information about FTD] but you guys popped up. I started listening and I felt like, 'Oh my gosh, I'm so grateful to hear other people's stories.' "
Emma admitted other caregivers have been a huge source of support and comfort to her because there is no need to explain her family's circumstances to them. She said, "There's nothing that levels the playing field like FTD. And I have made some of the greatest connections with other care partners, people like you who just get it, there doesn't have to be so much explanation."
"You guys have been so helpful to me. I want to say thank you," she continued. "I'm surprised I'm not crying because that's where I go to when I think of people who have been that lifeline for me."
Emma recently admitted she doesn't know if the "Die Hard" actor realizes he has dementia. Asked if he is aware of his condition on "Today", Emma told co-host Hoda Kotb, "It's hard to know."
The Make Time Wellness founder, who has daughters Mabel, 11, and eight-year-old Evelyn, with Bruce, admitted her 68-year-old husband's condition has been "hard" on everyone around him, including his three adult daughters with ex-wife Demi Moore. She grew emotional as she said, "What I'm learning is dementia is hard."
"It's hard on the person diagnosed, it's also hard on the family. And that is no different for Bruce, or myself, or our girls," she added. "When they say this is a family disease, it really is."
Emma admitted coming to terms with Bruce's condition has been "the blessing and the curse" but she's thankful he was able to get a definitive diagnosis. She said, "To finally understand what was happening so that I could be into the acceptance of what is, it doesn't make it any less painful, but ... just being in the know of what is happening to Bruce makes it a little easier."
