Eric Dane died on February 19 at the age of 53, less than a year after he revealed he had been diagnosed with ALS.
However, about 18 months before he received his diagnosis, Eric began experiencing symptoms that he initially ignored.
“I started experiencing some weakness in my right hand, and I didn’t really think anything of it at the time,” the Grey’s Anatomy alum told Diane Sawyer during an emotional interview on Good Morning America last June.
“I thought maybe I had been texting too much, or my hand was fatigued,” he continued. “But a few weeks later, I noticed it had gotten a little worse.
“So, I went and saw a hand specialist, who sent me to another hand specialist. I went and saw a neurologist, and the neurologist sent me to another neurologist, who said, ‘This is way above my pay grade.'”
After nine months of appointments, Eric finally received his “sobering” diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) – a rare, progressive neurological disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, making it harder for people to move, talk, eat, and eventually breathe.
Expert’s response
Dr. Kasim Usmani, a General Practitioner and Medical Trainer, told HELLO! that ALS varies greatly in how it presents, but “early symptoms can resemble muscle weakness in the hands, feet, arms, or legs.”
He added that “early symptoms can sometimes present as frequent tripping, dropping items, difficulty buttoning clothes, or weakness when lifting. Sometimes, it can present with twitching (known as fasciculations), cramping, or stiffness.”
Dr. Kasim explained that “as the disease progresses, these symptoms become more noticeable and spread to other muscle groups,” which is what Eric experienced when he lost the function of his right arm and “power” in his legs.
“My left side is functioning. My right side, [which is my dominant side], has completely stopped working,” he explained at the time. “[My left arm] is going. I feel like maybe a couple, a few more months, and I won’t have my left.”
© Getty ImagesEric confessed that he was “worried” he would lose the function of his legs, recalling how he had to be “dragged” back to a boat while on a trip with his daughter, Georgia, after his diagnosis.
He said that after he jumped into the ocean, he quickly realised he “couldn’t swim or generate enough power to get [himself] back to the boat” and had to accept that he is “not safe in the water anymore.”
© Getty ImagesDespite his loss of movement, Dr. Kasim explained to us that ALS “doesn’t typically cause pain in its early stages. Pain is one of the body’s strongest warning signals that something is wrong. Without it, it’s easy to view symptoms as less significant and not speak to your doctor.”
As the disease progressed, Eric would have had “full awareness” of what was happening to him physically, according to Dr. Kasim, because ALS “doesn’t affect sensation or awareness.”
© Getty ImagesHe added: “This can make it extremely challenging from an emotional and mental health perspective.”
In an interview that aired after his death, Eric appeared to be in good spirits and remained hopeful, despite his diagnosis.
© Getty Images“This disease is slowly taking my body, but it will never take my spirit,” he said in Famous Last Words. “[Resiliency is] my superpower. You knock me down, I bounce right up, and I keep coming back. I get up again and again and again.
“I hope I’ve demonstrated that you can face anything, you can face the end of your days [and] you can face hell with dignity.”
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