Bruce Willis' Wife Got Much Needed Support After Disclosing Aphasia

Bruce Willis's wife says she was carrying a heavy cross before the world knew about his medical condition ... but now, she and the fam got all the support they need.

Emma Heming recently sat for a talk with the Association of Frontemporal Degeneration -- touching on exactly what Bruce is battling right now -- and she was asked by the moderator how publicly disclosing her husband's diagnosis affected her and the family.

Check it out ... Emma says coming out with the news at the time was a huge weight off her shoulders -- and she frames as being able to breathe again.

Clearly, Emma and the rest of Bruce's family -- including his ex, Demi Moore, and their daughters -- were carrying a heavy burden behind the scenes before they announced he was dealing with aphasia ... which eventually developed into a form of dementia.

As Emma explains here ... revealing this publicly actually opened a lot of doors and ended up allowing her resources she didn't seem to have before in terms of caring for Bruce.

It's heartbreaking to hear, obviously ... but also, comforting knowing Emma and co. were able to get the help they required. Something like this is sensitive, so you can tell them even coming out with the truth was difficult in and of itself.

Like we told you ... as Bruce's primary caregiver, Emma has been radically honest about the process and how much it's affected her life. She also says she's unsure how aware Bruce is of his surroundings these days ... which really puts the seriousness of this in perspective.

Of course, Bruce is beloved in Hollywood and beyond ... so it's been tough to see.