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[1] Emma Heming is sharing more insight into her family amid Bruce Willis's health battle. Two years after the 69-year-old stepped away from acting amid his battle with frontotemporal dementia, his wife is opening up to Town and Country about the diagnosis and the impact it has had on their young daughters, Mabel and Evelyn.
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[2] When asked how much she shares with her kids, Emma says: "What I learned from our therapist was that if children ask questions, they're ready to know the answer." "If we could see that Bruce was struggling, I would address it with the kids so they could understand."
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[3] Emma also notes that Mabel and Evelyn, who are 12 and 10, respectively, watched their father "decline over the years, so it's not new."
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[4] Adding: "I've never tried to sugarcoat anything from them. I'm not trying to shield them from it."
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[5] The model, who tied the knot with Bruce in 2009, explains that the "key" to supporting her children throughout his journey was finally getting the correct diagnosis as, "this disease is misdiagnosed, it's missed, it's misunderstood.
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[6] So finally getting a diagnosis was key so that I could learn what frontotemporal dementia is, and I could educate our children."
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[7] The family first announced Bruce was diagnosed with aphasia in March of 2022, a medical condition that impacts a person's ability to communicate verbally and in written language.
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[8] Nearly a year later, Emma announced that the 69-year-old's condition had progressed, resulting in a later diagnosis of FTD(Frontotemporal dementia).
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[9] While Emma is being as open as possible with her kids about Bruce's health, she understands there are some conversations she's not having with Mabel and Evelyn just yet.
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[10] "This disease is chronic, progressive, and terminal. There is no cure. Obviously, I don't like to speak about the terminal side of this with them, nor have they asked. They know that Daddy's not going to get better."
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[11] Still, the 46-year-old continues to raise awareness for FTD so that she can have "some agency in this."
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[12] "I'm not going to allow FTD to take our whole family down. Bruce wouldn't want that. They're going to see me fight for our family, have some hope, and help the next family out there."