Copyright Men's Journal
Eric Dane has been publicly battling ALS but has made it clear he has no intention of retiring from acting. The Grey’s Anatomy alum, 52, will return to TV for a guest role in NBC’s Brilliant Minds. Dane will star as Matthew, who The Hollywood Reporter described as “a heroic firefighter who struggles to share his ALS diagnosis with his family and turns to Dr. Oliver Wolf for help.” Eric Dane Announced His ALS Diagnosis in April The Euphoria star opened up about his health battle in an interview with People, saying, “I am grateful to have my loving family by my side as we navigate this next chapter.” “I feel fortunate that I am able to continue working and am looking forward to returning to set of Euphoria next week,” he said in April. “I kindly ask that you give my family and I privacy during this time.”” Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, is a degenerative nervous system disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, causing loss of muscle control, according to the Mayo Clinic. Despite the disease’s progression and his recent dependence on a wheelchair, Dane is remaining positive and taking things “one day at a time.” “I’m very hopeful…I don’t think this is the end of my story,” he told Diane Sawyer during an interview in June. “And whether it is or it isn’t, I’m gonna carry that idea with me.” In a separate interview while promoting his Amazon Prime series, Countdown, Dane told E! News, “I’m going to ride this till the wheels fall off,” adding that working “keeps me sharp.” “It keeps me moving forward, which is super important right now,” he continued. “I feel great when I’m at work. Of course, there have been some sort of setbacks, but I feel pretty good. My spirit is always pretty buoyant. So, at the end of the day, that’s all that matters.” Dane’s episode of Brilliant Minds airs November 24.
