Eric Dane is dedicated to raising awareness of ALS while fighting the disease.
“Obviously I have a family at home and they’re the first priority, but this is very important to me to make sure people know what ALS is and what it’s all about and more importantly what we can do to fight it and improve the landscape,” Dane, 53, shared during a virtual panel discussion on Tuesday, Dec. 2, in partnership with an advocacy organization. I AM HERof which Dane is an ambassador.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosisknown as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a disease of the nervous system that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, often causing loss of muscle control. The disease gets progressively worse over time and has no cure.
The Grey’s Anatomy The actor, who announced his diagnosis earlier this year, noted that while “the landscape” is “so rocky and full of obstacles and bureaucracy and all this other nonsense that we’re trying to sift through,” he wants to find a way “where we can start working on solutions” for ALS.
After giving a shout out to the co-founders of I AM ALS Sandra Abrevaya i Brian WallachDane praised events like the roundtable for bringing so much awareness to the disease.
“I think it’s so great that we can get that out to people, to let them know that, well, this is what it looks like,” he explained.
Later in his panel interview, Dane candidly admitted that he has “no reason to be in good spirits at any given time on any given day”, but was “pleasantly surprised to realize” that he’s not “built that way”.
“(It’s) very encouraging,” he noted. “It’s heartening to me to know that I can actually have an upbeat spirit in the face of something so horrible.”
In April, Dane announced that he had been diagnosed with ALS.
Rebecca Gayheart is supporting Eric Dane during his health struggles despite their split. Gayheart, 54, is teaching daughters Billie, 15, and Georgia, 13, to “show up to people no matter what,” while Dane, 53, navigates his new normal with ALS. “He’s our family. He’s your father,” Gayheart said during his Monday, November (…)
“I am grateful to have my loving family by my side as we navigate this next chapter,” he shared in a statement to peoplereferring to daughters Billie, 15, and Georgia, 13, who he shares with his estranged wife. Rebecca Gayheart. “I feel fortunate to be able to continue working and look forward to returning to the set of Euphoria next week. I kindly ask that you give me and my family privacy during this time.”
Dane’s family have continued to rally around him, with Gayheart, 54, having their divorce annulled nearly six years after it was filed.
Rebecca Gayheart, Eric Dane and their two children Billie and Georgia
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Chrysalis Butterfly Ball“I talk to her every day”, Dane shared in a Good morning America interview in June. “We’ve managed to be best friends and best parents and she’s my, probably my biggest champion. My biggest advocate. And I lean on her.”
Dane has continued to focus on his family, noting that he is “fighting as hard as he can”.
“There are a lot of things that are out of my control,” he explained Diane Sawyer. “I’m angry because, you know, my dad was taken away from me when I was little and now there’s a good chance that I’ll be taken away from my girls when they’re very young. 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… They’re loved. They know that.”