Robin Williams’ widow, Susan Schneider Williams, gave an emotional speech about her late husband at the USO of Illinois’ 75th anniversary celebration on Saturday.
The organization posthumously awarded the comedian its 2016 Angel Harvey Heart of a Patriot Award, which Susan accepted on what would have been the couple’s wedding anniversary. She spoke of the comedian’s love for “all things military” and the joy he got out of performing for the troops.
“Robin absolutely had the heart of a patriot,” Susan said. “I cannot think of a more fitting award for him, nor one that he would be more proud to receive, especially in the presence of all of you. Robin was also a warrior, and, like so many of our finest servicemen and women, he had battles to face.”
Williams, who died by suicide in 2014, also suffered from Lewy body disease, an autopsy revealed. Susan told the audience Saturday that the progressive brain disease ― which is an umbrella term that includes the conditions Parkinson’s disease dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies, a type of abnormal protein deposit in the brain ― was “the biggest battle” of Robin’s life
“No matter how many doctors we saw, symptoms we chased or tests we ran, it was only in autopsy that I learned we had unknowingly been battling a deadly disease,” Susan said. “A disease for which there is no cure. The devastation on Robin’s brain from the Lewy bodies was one of the worst cases medical professionals have ever seen. Yet, throughout all of this, his heart remained strong.”
In September, Susan opened up about Robin’s last year with the disease in a letter to neurologists explaining how hard it was for the actor to find a diagnosis.
“I am not convinced that the knowledge would have done much more than prolong Robin’s agony,” she wrote. “Even if we experienced some level of comfort in knowing the name, and fleeting hope from temporary comfort with medications, the terrorist was still going to kill him. There is no cure, and Robin’s steep and rapid decline was assured.”
To read more of Susan Schneider Williams’ USO speech, head here.
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