Eric Dane, aka Dr. McSteamy, disclosed his ALS diagnosis in April 2025, and friends are now revealing details about his fight with the condition.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis – ALS – is a “rare, terminal neurodegenerative disorder that results in the progressive loss of both upper and lower motor neurons that normally control voluntary muscle contraction,” ASL Association explains. In the States, it is commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Speaking of the devastating diagnosis, Dane told People at the time, “I have been diagnosed with ALS.
“I am grateful to have my loving family by my side as we navigate this next…I kindly ask that you give my family and I privacy during this time.”
Though the course of ALS differs from person to person, the disease has taken the lives of many familiar names — among them Bryan Randall, Sandra Bullock’s partner, in 2023, and SpongeBob SquarePants creator Stephen Hillenburg in 2018.
Stephen Hawking, one of the world’s most renowned scientists, lived with ALS for more than five decades, far exceeding typical survival expectations.
Due to the illness, Dane now appears to have lost mobility in his feet, as he was recently spotted in a wheelchair.
People close to him reported he’s also struggling with his speech.
“This diagnosis has been devastating,” an insider told the Daily Mail about Dane’s condition. “And as much as Eric has leaned on his Jewish faith to get through it all, it has been his family and friends that have really stepped up and have made him feel loved.
“He wants to live life and he doesn’t want people grieving him or for him while he is going through this terrible disease, he just wants the people in his life to be present and as happy as they can be, he wants to always surround himself with positivity, that is a major thing that is driving him nowadays.”
The Grey’s Anatomy star is now on a mission to raise awareness of ALS, advocating for the renewal of the ACT for ALS, legislation designed to support essential research on ALS and related neurodegenerative conditions.
On September 29, Dane travelled to Washington DC to meet with US Rep. Frank Pallone of New Jersey, alongside members of the nonprofit I AM ALS.
In a TikTok by US Rep. Eric Swalwell, Dane reflected on his battle with the disease and the long, difficult road to getting diagnosed.
“ALS is the last thing they want to diagnose anybody with,” he explained. “So often, it takes all this time for these people to be diagnosed; well, then it precludes them from being a part of these clinical trials.”
It was an honor to meet with @iamalsorg and my friend @RealEricDane to discuss the urgent need for progress in the fight against ALS. From investing in innovative treatments to ensuring access to quality care, we must do more to support patients, families, and researchers. pic.twitter.com/DFzjp4dK0o
— Eric Swalwell (@ericswalwell) September 30, 2025
Dane highlighted how vital the ACT for ALS is and vowed to keep fighting the disease for his daughters, Billie Beatrice, 15, and Georgia Geraldine, 13, with his wife, Rebecca Gayheart.
“I have two daughters at home. I want to see them graduate college, get married, maybe have grandkids. You know, I want to be there for all that. So I’m going to fight to the last breath on this one,” he said.
In a June interview with Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America, the Euphoria star spoke how quickly his disease has progressed since the diagnosis.
“I didn’t really think anything of it at the time. 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,” he told Sawyer.
“My dominant side. My left side is functioning; my right side has completely stopped working. 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.
Dane continued: “I will fly to Germany and eat the head off a rattlesnake if [doctors] told me that that would help. I’ll assume the risk.”
He added, “I’m very hopeful … I don’t think this is the end of my story. And whether it is or it isn’t, I’m gonna carry that idea with me.”
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