Washington DC [US], June 18 : Actor Actor Eric Dane has no plans of stepping away from acting amid his amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) diagnosis, reported People.
The 52-year-old opened up about living with the rare degenerative disease and why he has no plans to give up his career.
"I'm going to ride this 'til the wheels fall off," he said, adding, "It keeps me sharp. It keeps me moving forward, which is super important right now."
"I feel great when I'm at work," he continued. "Of course, there have been some sort of setbacks, but I feel pretty good. My spirit is always pretty buoyant, so at the end of the day, that's all that matters," reported People.
After multiple television roles in the 1990s and 2000s, which included his recurring role as Jason Dean in Charmed, Eric Dane was cast as Mark Sloan on Grey's Anatomy (2006-2012; 2021). Following this, he made appearances in films such as Marley & Me (2008), Valentine's Day (2010), and Burlesque (2010). Dane has since played Captain Tom Chandler in The Last Ship and Cal Jacobs in HBO's Euphoria.
Dane, who revealed his ALS diagnosis in April, detailed some of those setbacks during his first sit-down interview with Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America.
"I have been diagnosed with ALS," he shared. "I am grateful to have my loving family by my side as we navigate this next chapter."
The actor is married to Rebecca Gayheart, and the couple shares two children, Billie Beatrice, 15, and Georgia Geraldine, 13.
"I kindly ask that you give my family and I privacy during this time," he said.
A year and a half since his symptoms began, the Countdown star said he's lost control of his right arm, and he's concerned about losing mobility elsewhere.
"I have one functioning arm. My dominant side. My left side is functioning, my right side has completely stopped working," he shared, noting that function on his left side is slowly deteriorating. "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 added that although he's able to walk right now, "I'm worried about my legs," reported People.
Despite the change in his health, Dane returned to filming season 3 of Euphoria just days after sharing his diagnosis.
"I don't think this is the end of my story. I don't feel like this is the end of me," he said.
ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a rare degenerative disease that causes progressive paralysis of the muscles. Patients first experience twitching or weakness in a limb, often followed by slurred speech. According to the Mayo Clinic, because the disease affects the nerve cells in the brain and spine that control muscle movement, patients slowly lose their ability to speak, eat, walk, and breathe independently, reported People.