Grey’s Anatomy Star Only Has 1 Functioning Arm Amid ALS Battle, Fears Daughters Might Lose Him Soon

Actor Eric Dane just shared an update on his ALS diagnosis, saying his health has been noticeably deteriorating and he fears his young daughters will grow up without a father.

“My left side is functioning, my right side has completely stopped working,” the 52-year-old actor told Diane Sawyer during an interview with ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Monday. “I feel like maybe a couple more months and I won’t have my left hand either. It’s sobering.”

The “Grey’s Anatomy” alum was diagnosed with the degenerative disease in April after noticing symptoms including weakness in his right hand.  

“I didn’t really think anything of it at the time,” Dane told Sawyer. “I thought maybe I’d been texting too much or my hand was fatigued, but a few weeks later I noticed it got a little 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.’”

ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, leading to loss of muscle control. Over time, individuals with ALS may lose the ability to speak, move, eat, and breathe independently.

ALS has no cure, and people who receive this diagnosis usually live three to five years after symptoms start; however, some people live for decades following their diagnosis. Renowned physicist Stephen Hawking lived with ALS for more than 50 years after being diagnosed at the age of 21 until he died in 2018.

Dane also told Sawyer about the support he’s received from his wife of 14 years, Rebecca Gayheart. The actress filed for divorce in 2018 but called it off one month before Dane revealed his diagnosis. They remain friendly and share the responsibility of raising their two daughters, Billie, 15, and Georgia, 13.

“We have managed to become better friends and better parents,” the actor said of Gayheart since receiving his diagnosis. “She is probably my biggest champion and my most stalwart supporter, and I lean on her.”

“In my heart, I don’t feel like this is the end for me,” Dane said during the interview. “I’m fighting as much as I can. There’s so much about it that’s out of my control.”

The actor also said he’s upset about his diagnosis because of losing his own father to suicide at the age of 7. “I’m angry because my father was taken from me when I was young, and now there’s a very good chance I’m going to be taken from my girls when they’re very young,” Dane said.