Emma recently reflected on the ups and downs she has faced since the family announced Bruce’s diagnosis with frontotemporal dementia in February—nearly a year after they revealed he was battling aphasia, which also affects cognitive abilities, and was stepping away from acting,
“I struggle with guilt, knowing that I have resources that others don’t,” Emma wrote in an article for Maria Shriver‘s Sunday Paper, published on Nov. 11. “When I’m able to get out for a hike to clear my head, it’s not lost on me that not all care partners can do that. When what I share about our family’s journey gets press attention, I know that there are many thousands of untold, unheard stories, each of them deserving of compassion and concern.”
She continued, “It’s important to me to be an advocate on behalf of those families who don’t have the time, energy, or resources to advocate for themselves.”
Emma noted that one of the lessons she learned is that “hope is everything.” She wrote, “I have so much more hope today than I did after Bruce was first diagnosed. I understand this disease more now, and I’m now connected to an incredible community of support. I have hope in having found a new purpose—admittedly one I never would have gone looking for—using the spotlight to help and empower others. And I have hope in how our entire family can find joy in the small things, and in coming together to celebrate all the moments life has to offer.”
Look back at Bruce’s family moments over the years:
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