Rebecca Gayheart, the wife of Eric Dane, has shared an update regarding his ALS diagnosis, detailing the initial symptoms she observed.
In April, 53-year-old Dane disclosed his diagnosis with ALS, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
The Mayo Clinic describes ALS as a nervous system disease that impacts nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, progressively worsening over time and affecting muscles necessary for movement, speech, eating, and breathing.
Gayheart wrote a personal essay for The Cut discussing Dane’s diagnosis and the hurdles they have encountered.
The couple separated in 2017, with Gayheart noting that although they are no longer together romantically, ‘they are family’.
They have two daughters, Billie, 15, and Georgia, 14, and were married for 15 years before their separation.
Gayheart has opened up about her role in caring for Dane, sharing details about the initial symptoms he noticed.
“His symptoms started maybe a year prior,” Gayheart stated.
“During meals with the kids, he mentioned, ‘Something’s wrong with my hand’. He struggled with using chopsticks and would drop his food. That was when he began consulting doctors. Initially, he received a few misdiagnoses but felt something more serious was at play. I reassured him, ‘No, it’s not. I promise you it’s not. I can feel this! It’s gonna be okay.'”
Despite Dane’s 24/7 care, Gayheart has described the challenges involved, including shifts she’s had to manage personally.
“Eric has 24/7 nurses now. Navigating the health-care system is a challenge — the health-insurance company might deny your requests, requiring appeals and reapplications,” she explained.
“The week consists of 21 shifts. Sometimes shifts aren’t covered, so I fill in. Recently, I couldn’t cover a 12-hour shift, managing only four hours due to the children’s activities.
“I had to ask two of Eric’s friends for help, one of whom wasn’t familiar with such care. I thought, I can’t believe I had to ask someone to do this. Yet when I reached out, they responded with, ‘Yeah, anything, what do you need? What’s going on?’ and they both stepped up and did an excellent job.”
In her essay, Gayheart conveyed a poignant message to readers.
She encouraged others to ‘live for today’, writing: “I say this often: This is not the dress rehearsal.
“Whatever you’re doing today, that is your life. Eric’s ALS diagnosis has highlighted this for me. So live for today. Wear the shoes, use the nice bag, don’t keep it in the dust bag. Put the nice sheets on your bed, like, what are we waiting for?
“Because it’s the things we take for granted that escape our attention. Recently, I told the girls we’d take the stairs to dinner, and they asked, ‘Why?’ I replied, ‘Because we can.'”