Eric Dane Vows To Fight ALS Diagnosis ‘Until the Last Breath’ for the Sake of His Daughters as He Travels to DC To Campaign for Disease Research

"Grey's Anatomy" star Eric Dane has vowed to "fight to the last breath" against his ALS diagnosis for the sake of his two daughters—after he opened up about how the devastating condition has changed his day-to-day life.

The 52-year-old actor—who was diagnosed with the degenerative neurological disease in April 2025—assured fans he has no pans to give up on treatment, as he advocated for the reauthorization of the Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies (ACT) for ALS Act, which was passed in 2021.

That legislation is currently due to expire in 2026, according to CNN.

Dane left his hometown of Los Angeles and jetted off to Washington, DC, with the nonprofit organization, I AM ALS, to meet with U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone of New Jersey.

The Hollywood star candidly spoke about his own diagnosis in a video shared on TikTok by U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell of California.

"ALS is the last thing they want to diagnose anybody with. So often, it takes all this time for these people to be diagnosed, well, then it precludes them from being a part of these clinical trials," he said.

"That's why ACT for ALS is so so great, and it's because it broadens the access for everybody."

Dane—who shares children Billie Beatrice, 15, and Georgia Geraldine, 13, with his wife, Rebecca Gayheart—noted that he is fighting with all the power he has for his family.

The actor said, "I have two daughters at home. I want to see them, you know, graduate college, and get married and maybe have grandkids. You know, I want to be there for all that. So I'm going to fight to the last breath on this one."

Gayheart previously told People that their whole family has been suffering as a result of his diagnosis.

"We have some professional therapists who are helping us, and we're just trying to have some hope and do it with dignity, grace and love.

"I mean, it's heartbreaking. My girls are really suffering, and we're just trying to get through it. It's a tough time," she said.

In September, the A-lister revealed that he was partnering with I AM ALS in an Instagram video.

"I'm Eric, an actor, a father and now a person living with ALS," Dane said while wearing a T-shirt that read "I AM ALS."

Dane's trip comes nearly four months after he candidly opened up about how his day-to-day life has been affected by his devastating ALS diagnosis, in a heartbreaking interview with Diane Sawyer.

During an appearance on "Good Morning America" on June 16—his first on-screen sit-down since he revealed his diagnosis—Dane shared a devastating look inside his life, explaining to Sawyer that he has only been left with one working arm.

"I have one functioning arm," he said. "My left side is functioning, my right side has completely stopped working."

However, Dane noted that he believes he is starting to lose function in his left arm, explaining that "it is going," and adding: "I feel like maybe a couple, a few more months and I won’t have my left hand either. It's sobering."

He told Sawyer about a particularly harrowing incident when he was snorkeling with his daughter and lost the ability to keep himself afloat—leaving his child forced to haul him back to their boat.

"She dragged me back to the boat," he recalled. "I was like, breaking down in tears. I made sure she got back to the water with her friend and continued on with the snorkeling. I was just heartbroken."

Dane confessed that—while he is determined to fight the disorder for as long as he can—he can't help but feel plagued by it every morning.

"I wake up every day, and I'm immediately reminded that this is happening," he said.

However, while the actor admits to being weighed down by his diagnosis, he insisted that it will not be the "end" of him.

"I don't think this is the end of my story. I don't feel like this is the end of me," he said.

Speaking about his diagnosis, Dane revealed that he first grew concerned that something was wrong when he noticed his right hand felt weaker than normal.

"I didn’t really think anything of it at the time," he recalled. "I thought maybe I’d been texting too much or my hand was fatigued, but a few weeks later I noticed it got a little worse."

However, even after speaking to medical experts, it took Dane nine months to receive an official diagnosis, during which time he was bounced from doctor to doctor as they struggled to find the root cause of his issues.

"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 and said, ‘This is way above my pay grade,'" he said.

ALS, short for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a disorder that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, according to the ALS Association.

For around 90% of cases of ALS, there is no known family history or a genetic mutation linked to ALS.

For 5% to 10% of cases, there is a family history of the disease. This is often referred to as familial ALS.

There is currently no known cure for ALS. However, there are FDA-approved medications that may help slow down the progression of the disease.

Since sharing his diagnosis, Dane has closely guarded many of the details of his medical battle—and it is not known whether he has been able to complete his on-screen projects as planned, despite his excitement about returning to the "Euphoria" set.

According to his IMDB page, the actor has three projects that are due to be released: "Euphoria" Season 3, which is expected to premiere in 2026; a 13-episode thriller called "Countdown," which will be released on June 25; and a movie called "Family Secrets."

Dane rose to stardom after appearing in ABC's hit medical drama "Grey's Anatomy," where he played the role of Dr. Mark Sloan, who was often referred to as "McSteamy."

Off-screen, in addition to his ALS diagnosis, Dane has been going through some marital strife with Gayheart, whom he wed in 2004.

In 2018, Gayheart filed for divorce—however, in March of this year, it was revealed that she had called off the split, requesting a dismissal from the court, just weeks before her husband shared his diagnosis.

Dane and his wife are still believed to be residing together in a three-bedroom, three-bathroom pad that sprawls across 2,265 square feet.

The couple snapped up the abode in 2000 for $949,000.

Speaking to Sawyer about the status of his relationship, Dane was full of praise for Gayheart, paying tribute to the actress for her unwavering support throughout his diagnosis.

"We have managed to become better friends and better parents," he explained. "She is probably my biggest champion and my most stalwart supporter, and I lean on her."