Kit Roberts
Eric Dane opened up about his experience of having ALS in his final public appearance before his death on February 19.
Dane died at 53 years old, just 10 months after he publicly confirmed that he had been diagnosed with the health condition.
In his final public appearance before his death, Dane spoke at an online panel with I AM ALS and Synapticure co-founders Brian Wallach and Sandra Abrevaya, saying that living with the condition was 'so horrible'.
ALS stands for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, and has previously been known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
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It's a condition affecting the nervous system which deteriorates nerve cells in the brain and spinal chord over time, causing a loss of muscle control.
As it progresses, ALS leaves patients needing additional mobility needs and support in day-to-day life.
There is currently no cure, and the condition is terminal.
Opening up about what it was like to live with the condition, Dane said: “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."
He added: “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.”
Following his diagnosis, Dane worked to raise awareness of the condition, saying: “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."
He added: “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."
Dane was known for his role as Dr Mark Sloan in Grey's Anatomy, as well as for his performance in Euphoria.
Dane's family confirmed his passing in a statement, which read: "With heavy hearts, we share that Eric Dane passed on Thursday afternoon following a courageous battle with ALS.
"He spent his final days surrounded by dear friends, his devoted wife, and his two beautiful daughters, Billie and Georgia, who were the center of his world."