'Grey's Anatomy' star Eric Dane says he has lost function of his right arm amid battle with ALS
Eric Dane gave a health update amid his ALS battle, revealing that his right arm has "completely stopped working."
Appearing on national television for the first time since he announced his diagnosis in April, the actor recalled experiencing then-unknown ALS symptoms over a year ago, when he felt "some weakness" in his right hand.
"I didn't really think anything of it at the time. I thought maybe I'd been texting too much," he said. "But a few weeks later, I noticed it had gotten a little worse, so I went and saw a hand specialist, who sent me to another hand specialist. I went and saw a neurologist, and the neurologist sent me to another neurologist and said, 'This is way above my pay grade.'"
After nine months, Dane learned that he has ALS.
"I will never forget those three letters. It's on me the second I wake up. It's not a dream. No," he said.
Dane revealed that his right arm, his dominant side, has "completely stopped working," adding that it's only a matter of time before his left arm follows suit.
"I feel like maybe a couple, few more months, and I won't have my left hand [functioning] either," he said, sharing that his legs might then be next.
"Sobering," he mused.
During a boat trip with his youngest daughter, Dane—a former water polo varsity—realized he lost the ability to swim.
"When I jumped into the ocean that day and realized I couldn't swim and generate enough power to get myself back to the boat, I thought, 'Oh God,'" he said. "And then I realized in that moment, I'm not safe in the water anymore."
He recalled his daughter dragging him back to the boat while he broke down.
"I was just heartbroken," he said, fighting back tears.
He gave a shoutout to his wife Rebecca Gayheart, whom he said he was talking to every day, especially about his condition.
"We have managed to become better friends and better parents," he said. "She is probably my biggest champion and my most stalwart supporter. I lean on her."
Dane noted that he's "very angry" about his condition because as someone who lost his own father at a young age, he said "there's a very good chance" that he'll be "taken" from his children "while they're very young" due to his ALS.
"At the end of the day, all I want to do is spend time with my family and work a little bit if I can," he said. "Every day, they're loved. They know it."
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, which is also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, causes progressive degeneration of nerve cells in the spinal cord and brain. It's one of the most devastating types of disorders that affect nerve and muscle function.
Most ALS patients die within three to five years, per the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Some patients can live for longer, even over a decade or two.
Other personalities who were diagnosed with ALS include theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, singer Roberta Flack, and SpongeBob SquarePants creator Stephen Hillenburg.
Aside from Grey's Anatomy, Dane appeared in multiple television roles in the '90s and the aughts, including Charmed. He also starred in the teen drama series Euphoria and the action drama series The Last Ship. His movie projects include Marley & Me, Valentine's Day, and Burlesque.
