Famous drama actor battling ALS says he has lost use of his arm
Former 'Grey's Anatomy' star Eric Dane is dealing with some major side affects amid his ongoing battle with ALS.
'I have one functioning arm,' the 52-year-old said in an interview with Diane Sawyer that aired Monday on "Good Morning America."
'My right side [has] completely stopped working,' Dane said.
While the actor still has mobility of his left arm, he added that he is slowly starting to lose function of it as well.
'It's going,' Dane said. 'I feel like maybe a couple, few more months and I won't have my left hand either.'
The actor is walking fine right now, but is already thinking about how the disease will impact his legs.
'I wake up every day and I'm immediately reminded that this is happening,' he told Sawyer. 'It's not a dream.'
ALS, otherwise referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease, impacts the nervous system. The non-curable disease affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, eventually causing paralysis and restricting essential bodily functions such as speaking, eating and breathing, according to the Mayo Clinic. The CDC estimates roughly 33,000 people are fighting ALS in the U.S.
Dane called his battle with ALS 'sobering.' His journey started when he first started experiencing weakness in his right hand more than a year ago. The actor didn't think much of it at first, until it worsened over the course of a few weeks. Dane then went from hand specialist to hand specialist, then neurologist to neurologist. After nine months of being in the dark, Dane was finally diagnosed with ALS in April.
The actor, who shares two teenager daughters with actress Rebecca Gayhart, said he is focused on his family and work.
'All I want to do is spend time with my family and work a little bit if I can,' Dane said. 'I don't think this is the end of my story. I just don't feel like, in my heart, I don't feel like this is the end of me.'
Dane appeared in television programs in the 1990s and 2000s, including 'Married...with Children,' 'Roseanne' and 'Charmed.' He rose to fame when he was cast as Dr. Mark Sloan (a.k.a Dr. McSteamy) on 'Grey's Anatomy' in 2006. The actor stayed on the show until 2012, appearing in more than 130 episodes and receiving several accolades.
Dane landed his first leading film in role in the 2006 German-made feature, 'Open Water 2: Adrift.' He was also a co-star in 'Marley & Me' (2008) and 'Valentine's Day' (2010) as well as appeared in 'X-Men: The Last Stand.'
The actor has most recently appeared as Captain Tom Chandler in 'The Last Ship' and as Cal Jacobs in HBO's 'Euphoria.'
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