Eric Dane won’t back down.
In a candid virtual panel with I AM ALS on Tuesday, the Grey’s Anatomy alum got real about how the diagnosis is taking a toll on him — and what he refuses to do in the face of the health battle. As we’ve been covering, Eric, just 53, first announced his ALS diagnosis in April. Since then, he’s started using a wheelchair and has lost control of one arm. It has happened rapidly and is so sad.
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But Eric’s not giving up — he’s using the unfortunate struggle to help advocate for more research. In the panel, per Page Six, the Euphoria star opened up:
“I have no reason to be in a good spirit at any time, on any given day, I don’t think anybody would blame me if I went upstairs in my bedroom, crawled under the sheets, and spent the next two weeks crying.”
Oof.
Fortunately, that hasn’t been his way through this:
“And I was a little bit pleasantly surprised when I realized that I wasn’t built like that because I thought for sure that was gonna be me.”
While his family — including his two daughters and his estranged wife Rebecca Gayheart — is his “priority” right now, talking about his diagnosis is “such a big deal to him” as well:
“I think it’s imperative that I share my journey with as many people as I can because I don’t feel like my life is about me anymore.”
The Hollywood hunk added:
“And it’s something I’ve had to wrestle with because I’m a pretty selfish person, and I’d love for my life to be all about me, but I just can’t — I don’t think I’d be able to move forward if that were the case.”
Plus, because he’s been a beloved actor in so many people’s homes and lives for so long, McSteamy is in a prime position for his activism work to reach millions. So that’s what he’s doing:
“I make sure that people are aware of what ALS is and what it’s about, and more importantly, what we can do to combat it and improve the landscape, because it’s so rocky and littered with hurdles and bureaucracy and all this other nonsense that we’re trying to sift through so we can get to a place where we go, start working on a solution.”
Along with speaking out, Eric also plans to continue acting — but he’ll have to focus on “ALS-centric roles” from now on, such as he did in his recent Brilliant Minds episode. He explained:
“I am fairly limited in what I can do physically as an actor, but I still have my brain and I still have my speech. So I am willing to do just about anything. I’ll take on a role. But I think from here on out, it’s going to have to be ALS-centric. … It’s going to be very difficult for me to play any other role where … you know, look at the 800-pound gorilla in the room, and I’m fine with that. I’m grateful that I can still work in any capacity.”
Love that he’s going to continue doing what he loves as he faces this massive change!
We’re wishing him well as he continues to bravely face this health battle!
Thoughts, Perezcious readers? Let us know (below).
[Image via ABC/YouTube & I AM ALS/Instagram]
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