ALS is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder that “often begins with muscle twitching and weakness in an arm or leg,” according to The Mayo Clinic. While appearing on CNN‘s The Story Is with Elex Michaelson on Saturday, Russell, 64, shared that he’s been leaning on his family for support, including his fiancée, Erica Tazel.
“I was diagnosed in the late fall of last year,” the TV star announced on the broadcast.
“And it’s been humbling, but there’s… Elex, there’s also something in the fact that I walked into a family of very caring people I did not know a year ago — the cliché family, but they have not let us miss a step in terms of care, the attention, the awareness, and the ability to get me here today.”
ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a neurological disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, leading to muscle weakness and other symptoms that intensify over time, according to the Mayo Clinic. Dane — who played Dr. Mark Sloan on the long-running medical drama — died in February, just 10 months after publicly announcing his diagnosis.
“With heavy hearts, we share that Eric Dane passed on Thursday afternoon following a courageous battle with ALS,” Dane’s family told People. “He spent his final days surrounded by dear friends, his devoted wife, and his two beautiful daughters, Billie and Georgia, who were the center of his world.”
ALS is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder that “often begins with muscle twitching and weakness in an arm or leg,” according to The Mayo Clinic.Grey’s Anatomy star Eric Dane died earlier this year after succumbing to the disease, less than a year after announcing his diagnosis. Russell revealed that his symptoms began during the Covid-19 pandemic, when he initially thought he suffered a stroke.
However, he later realized that it might have been early signs of ALS. “It was a stressful time. We didn’t work for three years, about, and then we had the back-to-back strikes, and so a lot was going on,” Russell explained, referring to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.Grey’s Anatomy star Eric Dane died earlier this year after succumbing to the disease, less than a year after anno
While appearing on CNN‘s The Story Is with Elex Michaelson on Saturday, Russell, 64, shared that he’s been leaning on his family for support, including his fiancée, Erica Tazel.
“I was diagnosed in the late fall of last year,” the TV star announced on the broadcast.
“And it’s been humbling, but there’s… Elex, there’s also something in the fact that I walked into a family of very caring people I did not know a year ago — the cliché family, but they have not let us miss a step in terms of care, the attention, the awareness, and the ability to get me here today.”
ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a neurological disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, leading to muscle weakness and other symptoms that intensify over time, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Dane — who played Dr. Mark Sloan on the long-running medical drama — died in February, just 10 months after publicly announcing his diagnosis.
“With heavy hearts, we share that Eric Dane passed on Thursday afternoon following a courageous battle with ALS,” Dane’s family told People. “He spent his final days surrounded by dear friends, his devoted wife, and his two beautiful daughters, Billie and Georgia, who were the center of his world.”
“There were twitches… I thought I was having pinched nerves in my neck, and they were quite frequent.”
He continued, “I was not able to do things that I normally do. I was dropping cups and glasses at night. It felt like things were running up and down my arm at different times, and it was the nerves.”
Erica chimed in to share some other symptoms she’d noticed early in her fiancé’s ALS battle.
“It took him longer to clean the pool. The way he walked, there was just the subtle little things like that, and I had questions. I was like, ‘Something is definitely wrong,’” she said.
Erica then reflected on her reaction upon learning of Russell’s diagnosis, saying she was “uncharacteristically calm,” as it explained the symptoms he’d been experiencing.
“[There] was not a sigh of relief, but some understanding of what was happening,” the actress recalled, before vowing to stick by her soon-to-be-husband’s side, despite his fatal diagnosis.
“And I looked at him across the room, and I said, ‘At least now we know what it is, and I still want to be your wife.’”
Erica added that her fiancé’s ALS journey had taught her a great deal about love, saying that “there are cases where it is truly unconditional.” Additionally, Russell announced his partnership with the ALS Network, fittingly during ALS Awareness Month.