Rebecca Grayheart gives rare insight into care for Eric Dane amid ALS battle

Rebecca Gayheart is working hard to ensure her ex-husband, actor Eric Dane, receives the constant medical care he needs amid his Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis diagnosis (ALS).

In a personal essay for The Cut, the Jawbreaker actress revealed that she went head-to-head with insurance companies to secure 24/7 nursing support for Dane.

The Grey's Anatomy star announced in April that he had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

The 54-year-old described the uphill battle of navigating the healthcare system.

She recounted how one insurance representative told her, "You can keep applying, and I’ll keep denying."

Refusing to accept defeat, she appealed multiple times until Dane’s care was approved.

"…I locked it in," she wrote, explaining that she made it her mission to secure the coverage.

The American actress shared that 'we got it approved after two appeals'.

The famed McSteamy from the ABC medical drama now has his care divided into 21 shifts.

Gayheart admitted that when nurses aren’t available, she often covers the gaps herself.

She sometimes does it for hours at a time, even while juggling the needs of their fifteen-year-old daughter Billie and 13-year-old Georgia.

"There was a 12-hour shift recently that I could not cover. I could only do four hours because of all the stuff that the kids are doing," she shared.

When Gayheart couldn’t manage alone, she leaned on Dane’s friends who stepped in to help despite having little caregiving experience.

"Of course when I asked for help, they said, 'Yeah, anything, what do you need?' And they both showed up and did a wonderful job," she said.

Still, Gayheart admitted the emotional weight of the situation has caused some people to pull away.

"…most people are not great in this situation because it’s so heavy," she reflected.

She acknowledged, "It’s not easy for people. So I don’t hold any grudges toward [anyone] who hasn’t shown up."

The Euphoria star made public his ALS diagnosis in April 2025.