Eric Dane, 52, shares heartbreaking statement after being seen in a wheelchair
He revealed his ALS diagnosis in April.
Euphoria star Eric Dane has shared a poignant message to fans after he was spotted in wheelchair months after revealing his ALS diagnosis.
The 52-year-old actor told fans he had the rare neurodegenerative disease in April, saying he was ‘grateful to have my loving family by my side as we navigate this next chapter.’
He has two children – Billie Beatrice, 15, and Georgia Geraldine, 13 – with his wife of 21 years, Rebecca Gayheart.
The progressive disease affects parts of the nervous system that control voluntary muscle movement with the majority of those diagnosed with it having an average three years to live, per the ALS Association.
The screenstar has become an advocate for those affected by ALS in recent months, and this week met with California Congressman Eric Swalwell in Washington DC to discuss ‘the urgent need for progress in the fight against ALS’.
He was spotted in a wheelchair at the airport in Washington when asked by a photographer: ‘What would you say to your fans who are hoping everything is okay?’
After being asked in the airport, where he was in a wheelchair, he told fans to ‘keep the faith’ (Picture: Eric Swalwell/TikTok Dane was in Washington DC to meet with Democrat Eric Swalwell (Picture: Eric Swalwell/TikTok)To which he replied: ‘Keep the faith man’.
In his meeting with Swalwell, the Grey’s Anatomy star was advocating for the reauthorisation of ACT for ALS, legislation which establishes grant programs to address neurodegenerative diseases, as it expires in 2026.
In an emotional plea to the Democratic politician, he shared: ‘I have two daughters at home. I want to see them, you know, graduate college, and get married and maybe have grandkids.
What is ALS?Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is a form of motor neurone disease and operates as a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord - according to the ALS association website.
Symptoms of ALS often include:
muscle twitching weakness in an arm or leg trouble swallowing slurred speech Untimely crying, laughing or yawning Thinking or behavioral changesAccording to the Mayo Clinic website, eventually ALS affects control of the muscles needed to move, speak, eat and breathe.
At current, there is no known cure for this fatal disease.
‘You know, I want to be there for all that. So I’m going to fight to the last breath on this one.’
Discussing his diagnosis in June, Dane told Good Morning America’s Diane Sawyer: ‘I don’t feel like this is the end of me’.
He continued: ‘I wake up every day and I’m immediately reminded that this is happening.
He is advocating for legislative support (Picture: I AM ALS) He has been open about his journey with the disease in recent months (Picture: I AM ALS)‘I don’t think this is the end of my story. I don’t feel like this is the end of me.’
At the time he also revealed that he had only ‘one functioning arm’.
”My dominant side. My left side is functioning, my right side has completely stopped working.
‘It’s going. I feel like maybe a couple, few more months, and I won’t have my left hand either. It’s sobering,’ he said, also expressing his concerns over his mobility in the future.
In September he announced his collaboration with the patient-led movement, I AM ALS.
In a social media statement at the time he said: ‘For over a century, ALS has been incurable, and we’re done accepting the status quo. We need the fastest path to a cure, and that’s why I partnered with I Am ALS on the Push for Progress. Our goal: a billion dollars over the next three years.”
‘Together, we’ll renew the landmark law Act for ALS, give promising treatments to thousands of patients like me, and finally, finally, push towards ending this disease,” he continued, urging his followers to join the cause.’
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