Eric Dane, 52, confirms diagnosis of disease that causes paralysis and ‘has no cure’
The Grey's Anatomy star possibly has just a handful of years to live.
Eric Dane, who stars in Grey’s Anatomy and Euphoria, has been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Dane, 52, who shares two children Billie Beatrice, 15, and Georgia Geraldine, 13, with wife Rebecca Gayheart, is able to continue working at this stage, though the rare neurodegenerative disease has no cure.
ALS – the most common form of motor neurone disease (MND) – affects parts of the nervous system that control voluntary muscle movement.
Over time, function is gradually lost. Muscles become weak and eventually nonfunctional, leading to disability and eventually death.
Those diagnosed with the nervous system disease usually have an average of three years to live. However, about 20% of people with ALS live five years, 10% survive 10 years and 5% live 20 years or longer, according to The ALS Association.
Dane asked for privacy for him and his family at this time (Picture: Gregg DeGuire/WireImage)‘I have been diagnosed with ALS,’ Dane told People. ‘I am grateful to have my loving family by my side as we navigate this next chapter.’
‘I feel fortunate that I am able to continue working and am looking forward to returning to the set of Euphoria next week,’ he explained. ‘I kindly ask that you give my family and I privacy during this time.’
ALS often begins with muscle twitching and weakness in an arm or leg, trouble swallowing or slurred speech, according to Mayo Clinic.
It’s estimated that MND affects around 5,000 adults in the UK at any one time, with six people receiving a diagnosis every day. There is a 1 in 300 risk of getting MND across a lifetime.
