A little more than two months after he announced his ALS diagnosis, Grey’s Anatomy alum Eric Dane has opened up about how the disease has impacted him.
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During a recent interview with Good Morning America, Dane spoke about how he now only has “one functioning arm” because of ALS.
“My left side is functioning, my right side has completely stopped working,” he explained to Diane Sawyer, but noted his left side is getting weaker. “I feel like maybe a couple more months and I won’t have my left hand either. It’s sobering.”
The Grey’s Anatomy star noted that while he received his health diagnosis earlier this year, he started having symptoms a year and a half before finding out about the disease. He felt his right hand begin to feel weak.
“I didn’t really think anything of it at the time,” he recalled. “I thought maybe I’d been texting too much or my hand was fatigued, but a few weeks later, I noticed it getting 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.'”
Dane also reflected on when his doctor finally revealed his ALS diagnosis. “I will never forget those three letters,” he said. “It’s on me the second I wake up. It’s not a dream.”
The actor then started tearing up as he spoke about the support of his wife, Rebecca Gayheart. The couple recently reconciled after being separated for years.
“We have managed to become better friends and better parents,” he said. “She is probably my biggest champion and my most stalwart supporter, and I lean on her.”
The Grey’s Anatomy Alum Spoke About Terrifying Incident Before Health Diagnosis
As he continued to speak about the health diagnosis, Eric Dane recalled one incident that left him and one of his daughters reeling. The two went snorkeling, and the actor suddenly lost the energy to swim. She had to save him.
“She dragged me back to the boat,” he recalled. “I was like, breaking down in tears. I made sure she got back to the water with her friend and continued on with the snorkeling.”
He then noted, “I was just heartbroken.”
Dane went on to share that he will be returning for the third season of his HBO Max series, Euphoria, and ALS isn’t the end of his story.
“In my heart, I don’t feel like this is the end for me,” he added. “I’m fighting as much as I can. There’s so much about it that’s out of my control.”