Actor Russell Andrews, known for his roles in Grey's Anatomy and Better Call Saul, has revealed that he has been diagnosed with ALS.
ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that “often begins with muscle twitching and weakness in an arm or leg,” according to Mayo Clinic.
Andrews’ announcement comes three months after fellow Grey's Anatomy actor Eric Dane died following a battle with the disease. Dane, who portrayed Dr. Mark Sloan on the long-running medical drama, died in February, 10 months after publicly disclosing his ALS diagnosis.
“I am a person living with ALS,” Andrews, 64, said during an appearance on CNN’s The Story Is With Elex Michaelson on Saturday.
“I was diagnosed in the late fall of last year,” he added. “It’s been humbling. But there’s also something in the fact that I walked into a family of very caring people. People I did not know a year ago.”
Andrews appeared on the segment alongside his fiancée, actress Erica Tazel, and said he initially believed he had suffered a stroke during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“It was a stressful time,” he explained. “There were moments. There were twitches. There were things that I thought I was having pinched nerves in my neck. And they were quite frequent. But then I was not able to do things I was normally able to do.”
According to Andrews, doctors have suggested his condition may be linked to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) stemming from his college football career, although confirmation would only be possible after his death through an examination of his brain.