Eric Dane has vowed to “fight to the last breath” amid his battle with ALS.
The “Euphoria” actor, 52, opened up about his health diagnosis during a meeting with US Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) in Washington, D.C., as part of his work with the nonprofit organization I AM ALS.
Dane was joined by members of the organization, as well as several staffers, at the talks, which saw him open up about his own experience with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) following his diagnosis in April.
“ALS is the last thing they want to diagnose anybody with,” Dane said in a TikTok video shared by US Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.)
“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.”
“That’s why ACT for ALS is so so great, and it’s because it broadens the access for everybody,” the actor added.
ALS is a rare degenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord along with causing progressive loss of muscle control.
The disease has long been nicknamed Lou Gehrig’s disease after the iconic baseball player who had the condition in the 1930s.
The actor, who shares daughters Billie, 15, and Georgia, 13, with his wife of 21 years, Rebecca Gayheart, also shared his hopes for the future.
“I have two daughters at home,” he said. “I want to see them, you know, graduate college, and get married and 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.”
Dane announced he has ALS back in April.
“I have been diagnosed with ALS,” he told People in a statement at the time. “I am grateful to have my loving family by my side as we navigate this next chapter.”
The star also revealed he was continuing to film “Euphoria” Season 3 despite his ALS battle.
“I feel fortunate that I am able to continue working and am looking forward to returning to set of EUPHORIA next week. I kindly ask that you give my family and I privacy during this time.”
Dane has played the role of Cal Jacobs, the father of Jacob Elordi’s character, Nate Jacobs, since 2019.
The actor wed Gayheart in 2004.
She filed for divorce in 2018, citing irreconcilable differences. However, in March, just one month before he revealed he had been diagnosed with ALS, Gayheart dismissed the divorce.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
