Emma Heming Willis is launching a charity called the Emma & Bruce Willis Fund to "help deepen understanding of FTD and ensure families facing it feel seen, supported, and less alone."
Key Points
The charity's goals are to raise awareness, funding promising research and accelerating discovery, and supporting caregivers.
The actor's family announced that he was diagnosed with aphasia in 2022, and then frontotemporal dementia the following year.
Emma Heming Willis is dedicating her new project to husbandBruce Willis.
On Thursday, March 12 atthe Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration's Hope Rising Benefit in New York, Emma announced the charity, calledThe Emma & Bruce Willis Fund, in her acceptance speech for the Susan Newhouse & Si Newhouse Award of Hope.
"This journey has opened my eyes to the realities so many families face when a loved one is living with frontotemporal dementia," Emma said, perPEOPLE. "I believe deeply in the importance of supporting research while also showing up for the caregivers who carry so much every day."
The continued, "Through this fund, my hope is to help deepen understanding of FTD and ensure families facing it feel seen, supported, and less alone. Bruce has always led with generosity and heart, and I know he would be proud to see this effort helping families facing this disease."
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In another snippet from Emma's speech shared on her Instagram Stories, Emma expressed her thanks for her recognition. "You might be honoring Bruce and me tonight, but the gratitude goes to you," she said.
She also posted about the charity on Instagram, sharing a picture of her and theDie Hardstar. "Our family's journey with frontotemporal dementia has opened my eyes to what so many families experience when someone they love is living with this disease," she wrote. "The uncertainty, the challenges, and the incredible strength of the caregivers who show up every day."
According to the charity's website, its three goals are to raise awareness, funding promising research and accelerating discovery, and supporting caregivers.
Bruce's family announced thathe was diagnosed with aphasiain March 2022 and would be stepping away from acting.
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"We wanted to share that our beloved Bruce has been experiencing some health issues and has recently been diagnosed with aphasia, which is impacting his cognitive abilities," his daughter Rumer shared on social media on behalf of his family.
"As a result of this and with much consideration Bruce is stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him," she added.
"This is a really challenging time for our family, and we are so appreciative of your continued love, compassion, and support. We are moving through this as a strong family unit," she said, noting that the family was sharing his health update "because we know how much he means to you, as you do to him. As Bruce always says, 'Live it up,' and together we plan to do just that."
The following February, his family announced that hisdiagnosis had progressed to frontotemporal dementia, while thanking fans for their "outpouring of love and compassion for Bruce."
They added: "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."
Bruce's family has been open about his health journey, giving updates about the actor. In January, Emma said during an interview on theConversations With Campodcastthat Bruce doesn't know he has dementia, while also revealing that he has another condition called anosognosia.
"There's this term — this neurological condition that comes with FTD and other types of dementia — called anosognosia, where your brain can't identify what's happening to it," Emma said. "People think this might be denial, they don't want to go to the doctor because they're like, 'I'm fine' — this is where the anosognosia comes into play. It's not denial, it's just that their brain is changing. This is a part of the disease."
She continued, "He never connected the dots that he had this disease, and I'm really happy about that. I'm happy he doesn't know about it."
The couple celebrated their anniversary in December, with Emma reflecting on when they made their relationship "official."
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