Eric Dane is angry about ALS: There's 'a good chance' he'll die while daughters are young

Eric Dane is angry. Angry that he’s been deed by ALS, besides known arsenic Lou Gehrig’s disease.

“I’m aggravated due to the fact that my begetter was taken from maine erstwhile I was young, and present there’s a precise bully accidental I’m going to beryllium taken from my girls portion they’re precise young,” says the actor, 52, whose begetter fatally changeable himself erstwhile Dane was conscionable 7.

The “Euphoria” and “Grey’s Anatomy” star, who revealed his diagnosis past Tuesday, sat down with “Good Morning America” to speech astir his amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, an incurable degenerative neurological condition. In ALS, the musculus neurons linking the encephalon and spine to the muscles deteriorate, leaving the musculus with thing capable to archer them what to bash oregon erstwhile to bash it. No messages means nary movement, nary functioning, successful systems including eating and breathing.

The histrion said successful an interrogation broadcast connected Monday that it’s been astir 18 months since helium started experiencing symptoms. It took a bid of doctors and tests earlier helium recovered retired helium was 1 of the 5,000 radical a twelvemonth diagnosed with ALS successful the United States.

“I started experiencing immoderate weakness successful my close manus and I didn’t truly deliberation thing of it astatine that time,” Dane told Diane Sawyer, his dependable possibly sounding a spot slower and thicker than usual. “I thought possibly I’d been texting excessively overmuch oregon my manus was fatigued.

“But a fewer weeks later, I noticed that it had gotten a small worse, truthful I went to a manus specialist, who sent maine to different manus specialist. Then I went to a neurologist, who sent maine to different neurologist, who said, ‘This is mode supra my wage grade.’”

Nine months aft consulting with the archetypal physician, Dane had his diagnosis.

Now “those 3 letters” — ALS — deed him each greeting erstwhile helium wakes up, helium said.

“I person 1 functioning limb ... my near broadside is functioning,” Dane said. “My close broadside has wholly stopped working.”

Adding to the horror, his near limb is “going,” helium said. “I consciousness similar possibly a couple, fewer much months and I won’t person my near manus either. It’s sobering.”

The erstwhile competitory swimmer and h2o polo subordinate recalled the infinitesimal helium realized helium nary longer felt harmless successful water. He dove disconnected a vessel to snorkel with his girl successful the ocean, past couldn’t “swim and make capable powerfulness to get myself backmost to the boat.” The younger of his 2 daughters with histrion woman Rebecca Gayheart, 13-year-old Georgia, had to travel to his aid.

After she dragged him backmost to the boat, Dane said, helium sent her backmost retired with her person and the snorkeling guide. Meanwhile, helium broke down crying.

“I was heartbroken.”

Life expectancy for radical with ALS varies by property of grounds onset, benignant of ALS and whether a idiosyncratic is antheral oregon female. The wide median beingness expectancy from grounds onset is 30 months, according to ALS United of Greater Chicago. Some radical dice wrong a year, portion others person lived 20 much years, the radical said. Earlier onset seems linked to a amended endurance rate.

The celebrated theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, who died successful 2016 astatine property 76, is an illustration of idiosyncratic who survived for 55 years with the illness aft being diagnosed astatine property 21. The minds of radical with ALS enactment crisp adjacent arsenic their bodies fail.

“Killing Me Softly” vocalist Roberta Flack died a small much than 2 years aft revealing her ALS diagnosis astatine property 85.

Dane said Gayheart has go his “biggest champion” and “most stalwart supporter” arsenic helium continues to enactment erstwhile helium can, including connected a caller series, “Countdown.”

“I don’t deliberation this is the extremity of my story,” helium told Sawyer. “I conscionable don’t consciousness like, successful my heart, I don’t consciousness similar this is the extremity of me. ... I’m warring arsenic overmuch arsenic I can.”