Eric Dane Has ‘Had to Wrestle with’ ALS Diagnosis as a ‘Pretty Selfish Person’: ‘I Don’t Feel Like My Life Is About Me Anymore’

“This is such a big deal to me, and I want to make sure that people are aware of what ALS is and, more importantly, what we can do to combat it,” he said

NEED TO KNOW

• Days after he guest-starred on Brilliant Minds as a firefighter with ALS, Eric Dane took part in a Dec. 2 panel alongside the show’s creator, a doctor who is a consulting producer on the series and I AM ALS founders Brian Wallach and Sandra Abrevaya
• During the panel, Dane, 53, offered some candid thoughts on his ongoing battle with ALS, with which he was diagnosed in April
• “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 said

Eric Dane is getting candid about how his ALS diagnosis has changed his life.

The actor, 53, told PEOPLE in April that he had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and recently guest-starred in an episode of Brilliant Minds as a firefighter struggling to share his own ALS diagnosis with his family.

On Dec. 2, Dane appeared on a panel hosted by  I AM ALS alongside Brilliant Minds creator Michael Grassi, Dr. Daniela Lamas, who is a consulting producer and writer on the series, and I AM ALS founders Brian Wallach and his wife, Sandra Abrevaya. During the conversation, he shared candid thoughts on his health journey.

“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 said. “It’s something I’ve had to wrestle with, because I’m a pretty selfish person, and I would love my life to be all about me, but I just can’t.”

Dane said he wouldn’t “be able to move forward” if he was being “selfish.”

Being open about his experiences and the challenges of living with ALS has been “helping” the Grey’s Anatomy star.

“It’s been very propulsive. It’s been a propulsive sort of component to my existence. You know, obviously, I have a family at home, and they’re the priority,” he said, referring to his daughters Billie, 15, and Georgia, 13.

“But this is such a big deal to me, and I want to make sure that people are aware of what ALS is and, more importantly, what we can do to combat it and improve the landscape,” he said.

During the panel, Dane also admitted that he has “no reason to be in a good spirit at any time, on any given day,” as he said, “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.”

“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,” Dane continued.

“It’s encouraging for me to know that I actually can have a buoyant spirit in the face of something so horrible.”

Dane has previously called ALS a “nasty disease,” as he revealed to The Washington Post that he was forced to miss the 2025 Emmy Awards, where he was slated to present alongside Jesse Williams, because he had to get “stitches put in my head” after losing his balance and falling in his kitchen.

“ALS is a nasty disease,” he said. “I missed an opportunity I was really looking forward to.”