Originally appeared on E! Online
Eric Dane is getting vulnerable about the reality of his ALS diagnosis.
Two months after the “Grey’s Anatomy” star — dad to daughters Billie, 15, and Georgia, 13, with wife Rebecca Gayheart — shared he had been diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disease, he recalled a heartbreaking experience he went through with one of his teen daughters while snorkeling.
“When I jumped into the ocean that day and realized I couldn’t swim, generate enough power to get myself back to the boat I thought, ‘Oh god,’ and then I realized in that moment I’m not safe in the water anymore,” Dane told Diane Sawyer in a June 16 “Good Morning America” interview, noting one of his daughters had to assist him back to the boat. “I was breaking down in tears so I made sure she got back in the water with her friend and continued on with the snorkeling with the guide but I was just heartbroken.”
Indeed, the “Euphoria” star admitted that since he received his diagnosis with ALS — a disease also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease that breaks down nerves connected to voluntary muscle movement — he thinks about it every day.
READ Eric Dane’s Wife Rebecca Gayheart Shares Moving Message Amid His ALS Diagnosis
“I will never forget those three letters,” he said. “It’s on me the second I wake up.”
At this point, Dane has lost the function of his dominant right hand, and is beginning to lose it in his left. But through the difficulty of his disease, the 52-year-old praised his wife Gayheart — who filed to dismiss their divorce in March — for her support.
“I talk to her every day,” Dane said, choking back tears. “We have managed to become better friends and better parents. And she is probably my biggest champion. I lean on her.”
Despite the incurable nature of his disease, the “Last Ship” actor is maintaining the life he wants to live for as long as he possibly can.
“I don’t think this is the end of my story,” he added. “I just don’t feel like — in my heart — this is the end of me. I’m fighting as much as I can. There’s so much about it that’s out of my control.”
Still, he has simple goals for the rest of his life.
“All I want to do is spend time with my family,” he noted. “And work a little if I can.”
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