Eric Dane is not giving up the fight amid his ALS battle after a heartbreaking update on his health decline.
The 52-year-old actor got candid about his optimistic view on the future with his wife Rebecca Gayheart and their two children: Billie Beatrice, 15, and Georgia Geraldine, 13, in a sit down interview with California congressman Eric Swalwell.
The politician recently posted a clip on his social media page in which the actor bravely said: ‘I wanna ring every bell.
‘I have two daughters at home. I wanna see them graduate college, get married, maybe have grandkids.’
Last month, the Grey’s Anatomy star sparked concern with his absence from the Emmys — just five months after announcing his ALS diagnosis.
Dane went on to declare: ‘I wanna be there for all that. So, I’m gonna fight until the last breath on this one.’
Eric Dane is not giving up the fight amid his ALS battle after a heartbreaking update on his health decline
The 52-year-old actor got candid about his optimistic view on the future with his wife Rebecca Gayheart and their two children: Billie Beatrice, 15, and Georgia Geraldine, 13 (pictured together in May 2024)
The actor and government official were also joined by doctors and representatives from the I Am ALS organization during the meeting as they talked about federal funding toward the debilitating neurological disease.
Dane continued: ‘ALS is the last thing they want to diagnose anybody with.
‘It so often takes all this time for these people to be diagnosed. Well, then it precludes them from being part of these clinical trials. That’s why Act for ALS is so great because it broadens the access for everybody.’
This came a week after aforementioned wife opened up about how their family is dealing with his ‘heartbreaking’ ALS diagnosis.
She said that their teenage daughters Billie, 15, and Georgia, 13, are talking to therapists as their father battles with the progressive neurodegenerative disease.
‘I mean, it’s heartbreaking,’ she told People in an interview published on Saturday. ‘My girls are really suffering, and we’re just trying to get through it. It’s a tough time.’
Though their family is ‘really struggling,’ she said they are ‘taking it day by day.’
‘We have some professional therapists who are helping us, and we’re just trying to have some hope and do it with dignity, grace and love.’
The actor participated in a sit down interview with California congressman Eric Swalwell.
The politician recently posted a clip on his social media page in which the actor bravely said: ‘I wanna ring every bell. I have two daughters at home. I wanna see them graduate college, get married, maybe have grandkids.’
Last month, the Grey’s Anatomy star sparked concern with his absence from the Emmys — just five months after announcing his ALS diagnosis
The actor and government official were also joined by doctors and representatives from the I Am ALS organization during the meeting as they talked about federal funding toward the debilitating neurological disease
Dane went on to declare: ‘I wanna be there for all that. So, I’m gonna fight until the last breath on this one’
About her own state of mind, she admitted: ‘I don’t think I’m at a place yet where I can pull out a positive nugget. I’m not there yet.’
The actress, 54, married Dane in 2004.
They were married for 14 years before she filed for divorce in 2018; however, the pair later called off the split seven years later.
Dane’s announcement about his diagnosis came a month after Gayheart requested to dismiss her divorce filing.
‘I mean, we’re definitely dealing with something that has brought us all together, and Eric will always be my family, whether we’re married or not, or living in the same house or not, but yeah, we are closer, but we don’t like the reason why,’ she said.
She added: ‘It’s a horrible disease, and I wish that there was a cure. I hope they find one soon, because it is just so sad.’
Earlier this year, Dane announced he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
ALS is a nervous system disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, leading to loss of muscle control and paralysis as it gets worse over time, per Mayo Clinic.
This comes after the Grey’s Anatomy star sparked concern with his absence from the Emmys — just five months after announcing his ALS diagnosis
She said that their teenage daughters Billie, 15, and Georgia, 13, are talking to therapists as their father battles with the progressive neurodegenerative disease
Just months after revealing his diagnosis, the Euphoria star told Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America about how he was processing amid his health battle.
‘I wake up every day, and I’m immediately reminded that this is happening. It’s not a dream,’ he admitted.
Earlier this month, Dane was absent from the Emmys despite a previously announced appearance to reunite with his Grey’s Anatomy co-star Jesse Williams to present an award.
Williams ended up presenting alone onstage and made no mention of Dane’s absence.
A day later, Dane made a virtual appearance as he revealed he partnered up with the nonprofit organization I AM ALS.
In the video, Dane encouraged people to donate for the cause to find a cure.
‘I’m Eric, an actor, a father and now a person living with ALS,’ he said in the video.
The actress, 54, married Dane in 2004. They were married for 14 years before she filed for divorce in 2018; however, the pair later called off the split seven years later. ‘We are closer, but we don’t like the reason why,’ she said; pictured in June 2017
Earlier this month, Dane was absent from the Emmys despite a previously announced appearance. A day later, Dane made a virtual appearance as he revealed he partnered up with the nonprofit organization I AM ALS; pictured in April 2022
‘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.’
He continued: ‘Together, we’ll renew the landmark law, Act for ALS, give promiting treatments to thousands of patients, like me, and finally, finally, push towards ending this disease.’
Act for ALS is a law that was signed in 2021 and is set to expire in 2026.
The bill called for the Department of Health and Human Services to help patients receive funding for treatments that would otherwise inaccessible.
It also authorized the Food and Drug Administration to dedicate funds to finding a cure.
