Grey’s Anatomy star Eric Dane now in wheelchair as ALS progresses

Actor Eric Dane, best known as Dr. Mark “McSteamy” Sloan on Grey’s Anatomy, is reportedly now using a wheelchair and struggling to speak as his battle with ALS rapidly advances.

Eric Dane, 52, revealed in April 2025 that he had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a progressive and incurable neurological disease also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

At the time, he thanked his wife, actress Rebecca Gayheart, and their daughters Billie, 15, and Georgia, 13, for standing by his side. “I am grateful to have my loving family by my side as we navigate this,” Dane said, requesting privacy for his family.

ALS gradually robs patients of the ability to walk, speak, and eventually breathe. While some, like physicist Stephen Hawking, defy the odds, most live only two to five years after diagnosis.

Eric Dane Vows to Fight “Until the Last Breath” Amid ALS Battle https://t.co/vqTYN3fbW2 pic.twitter.com/alEljXMDuz

— E! News (@enews) September 30, 2025

A worsening fight

In June, Dane told Diane Sawyer that his right side had already stopped functioning. “I feel like maybe a couple, few more months, and I won’t have my left hand either. It’s sobering,” he admitted.

Now, according to friends, his decline has been swift. A source told the Daily Mail that Dane requires a wheelchair and struggles to speak. “This diagnosis has been devastating. All through this, it just keeps getting worse … but Eric is trying to put on as much of a brave face as possible because he wants to enjoy what he has now.”

Advocacy for ALS research

Despite his deteriorating health, Dane has been active in raising awareness. In September, he traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet lawmakers and push for more funding for ALS treatment and research.

Standing alongside U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell, Dane emphasized that ALS is “the last thing they want to diagnose anybody with,” urging Congress to renew funding for the Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act, which expires in 2026.

“I have two daughters at home,” Dane said. “I want to see them graduate college, get married, maybe have grandkids. I’m going to fight to the last breath on this one.”

Hope in the face of decline

Friends say Dane remains determined to live fully despite his prognosis. “He doesn’t want people grieving him while he’s alive,” one source shared. “He wants to be surrounded by positivity.”

The actor has also spoken openly about his willingness to try anything that might help: “I will fly to Germany and eat the head off a rattlesnake if doctors told me that would help,” he told Sawyer, half-joking. “I’m very hopeful … I don’t think this is the end of my story.”