‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Eric Dane has been diagnosed with ALS
ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a degenerative disorder that slowly results in the loss of the ability to walk, speak, swallow, and, ultimately, breathe independently.
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Despite his recent health struggles, Eric Dane is trying to look on the bright side.
Two months after revealing he’d been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS, the “Grey’s Anatomy” alum is set to open up about his life with the rare degenerative disease in an upcoming interview with Diane Sawyer on “Good Morning America.”
“I wake up every day and I’m immediately reminded that this is happening,” Dane, 52, tells Sawyer in a teaser clip published by the ABC talk show on June 12. Sawyer solemnly replies, “It’s not a dream.”
ALS, commonly called Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a nervous system disease that can impact the brain and spinal cord. Other stars who’ve battled ALS include late R&B singer Roberta Flack, world-renowned physicist Stephen Hawking, “SpongeBob SquarePants” creator Stephen Hillenburg and former U.S. Vice President Henry A. Wallace.
In his statement to People magazine revealing the diagnosis, Dane shared he planned on reprising his “Euphoria” role of Cal Jacobs for the HBO series’ long-awaited third season. “I feel fortunate that I am able to continue working,” he told the outlet.
Per the National Institutes of Health, ALS progressively degrades, then kills nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. According to one of the most recent surveys published about the disease in 2017, there were between 18,000 and 31,000 cases of ALS in the United States.
The preview of Dane’s interview with Sawyer, which shows the actor visibly emotional at one point, also saw Dane offer an optimistic outlook on his health ordeal. “I don’t think this is the end of my story,” Dane says. “I don’t feel like this is the end of me.”
It is not known what causes most cases of ALS, but some inherited factors have been found to cause familial ALS, which occurs when two or more people in a family have the disease. So far, a cure has not been identified for ALS.
According to the ALS Society of Canada, potential early signs of the disease include tripping, dropping things, slurred or “thick” speech, difficulty swallowing, weight loss, decreased muscle tone, shortness of breath, increased or decreased reflexes and uncontrollable periods of laughing or crying.
People with ALS generally live from three to five years after symptoms develop, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. How long a person lives with ALS seems to be related to age; people who are younger when the illness starts live slightly longer.
Dane’s “Good Morning America” interview is slated to air on Monday, June 16 at 7 a.m ET.
Contributing: Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY
