Latest news with #neurologicaldisorder
Daily Mail
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Bass guitarist for iconic punk band Comeback Kid dies after short health battle
Former Comeback Kid bassist Matt Keil has died after a year-long battle with the incurable degenerative neurological disorder, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Keil, 39, from Minnesota, played with the Canadian punk band from 2008 to 2004 and was featured on two of their albums, 'Symptoms + Cures' and 'Die Knowing.' The father-of-two was diagnosed with the devastating neurological disorder on May 2, 2024. ALS, which is also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, impacts the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, causing loss of muscle control. It is a fatal disease with no known cure. Comeback Kid posted a heartfelt tribute to the former bassist on social media, confirming he passed away on Sunday. 'It's with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our longtime friend and previous bass player Matt Keil,' the band said. 'He was such an amazing friend and musician. Just the greatest guy to tour with, be around, and explore the new countries in the world with. 'We are sending our love to his wife Maddie and his two daughters and want to honor his memory for our all years to come. We love you Matt K.' About half of ALS patients have a life expectancy of three years after the initial onset of symptoms, though some can survive for decades. The rare and incurable degenerative condition impairs the nervous system over time and causes the muscles to increasingly suffer from paralysis. After his diagnosis, Keil's loved ones launched a GoFundMe to support his wife Maddie and their two daughters, Ellie, 9, and Zoey, 7. 'You may know Matt Keil as a loving husband of 12 years to Maddie, or as a dedicated father,' the fundraiser said. 'You may also know him as a successful realtor, impassioned musician, and member of the Twin Cities community. However Matt has been a part of your life, you know that he is one of the kindest, most generous, hilarious, and genuine people. 'Matt would love nothing more than to live the rest of his years spending time with his family, traveling to the lake in Wisconsin, golfing, making music with friends, cheering on his daughters at soccer and gymnastics, or watching silly movies with the love of his life.' His wife released a heartbreaking tribute reflecting on their marriage after his passing. 'It is with a shattered heart that I share that the love of my life and my very best friend passed away yesterday afternoon after a 19-month-long battle with ALS,' she said. 'We shared a harmonious marriage filled with laughter and joy. He was an amazing parent, my own personal comedian, and the very best partner. I will miss you for the rest of my life. I love you forever.'
Daily Mail
17-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Eric Dane issues major ALS battle update as he promises fans 'I'm fighting as much as I can'
Eric Dane has given a huge update on his battle with incurable degenerative neurological disorder, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). 'I'm fighting as much as I can,' the 52-year-old Grey's Anatomy alum told Good Morning America 's Diane Sawyer on Tuesday. 'There's so much about it that's out of my control.' Eric is currently taking medication to slow the symptoms and he's also participating in a research study. 'I will fly to Germany and eat the head off a rattlesnake if [doctors] told me that that would help,' Dane stressed. 'I'll assume the risk.' The SAG Award winner was joined by his neurologist Dr. Merit Cudkowicz, who admitted: 'It's a hard diagnosis to hear, but I want [patients] to hear that there's hope. I never want anyone to hear that there's nothing to do because there's a lot to do.' 'That's what I got from Merit when I met her. There was a sense of hope I didn't get from other doctors that I met with,' Eric noted, adding prior doctors were just 'there to monitor my decline and that's not very helpful.' There are currently 5K people diagnosed with ALS annually, according to the CDC. 'But those numbers are going up moderately fast,' the Chief of Neurology at Mass General warned. 'It's really predicted by, like, 2040 [that] the numbers of people with ALS in the world will be increased by about 40%.' Dr. Cudkowicz listed off some of the ALS risk factors including plastics, bacteria in lakes, head trauma in sports, pesticides, military service, and 'there's many more we don't know about.' 'There's people all over the world working on this,' the Harvard Medical School professor encouraged. 'Between artificial intelligence and other imaging technology - to really be able to to subtype people - that's what gets me excited. That's all coming in the next, I think, one to two years, if not faster.' Back in 2014, the viral ice-bucket challenge raised $200M for ALS research 'in the US alone and it was spent quickly.' 'I'm very hopeful, yeah, I don't think this is the end of my story. I'm pretty resilient,' Eric beamed. 'I just don't feel, like in my heart, [that] this is the end of me.' Dane first experienced weakness in his right hand one year ago, but he 'thought maybe I'd been texting too much or my hand was fatigued' until a hand specialist eventually referred him to a neurologist. 'I will fly to Germany and eat the head off a rattlesnake if [doctors] told me that that would help,' Dane stressed. 'I'll assume the risk' 'That's what I got from Merit when I met her. There was a sense of hope I didn't get from other doctors that I met with,' Eric noted, adding prior doctors were just 'there to monitor my decline and that's not very helpful' There are currently 5K people diagnosed with ALS annually, 'but those numbers are going up moderately fast,' the Chief of Neurology at Mass General warned 'I have one functioning arm. My left side is functioning. My right side, [which is my dominant side], has completely stopped working,' the San Francisco-born silver fox revealed Monday. '[My left arm] is going. I feel like maybe a couple, a few more months and I won't have my left hand either. Sobering. I'm worried about my legs.' Luckily, Eric has the love and support of his wife Rebecca Gayheart, who dismissed her divorce petition in March following seven years of estrangement, as well as their 15-year-old daughter Billie and 13-year-old daughter Georgia. 'I talk to her every day,' Dane emotionally said of the 53-year-old Jawbreaker alum. 'We have managed to become better friends and better parents. And she is probably my biggest champion and my most stalwart supporter. And I lean on her.' On average, ALS patients live two to five years following their first symptoms, but FDA-approved medications and physical/speech therapies might slow down the progression of the disorder. Audiences can next catch the Bad Boys: Ride or Die action star as Special Agent Nathan Blythe in Derek Haas' new 13-episode crime drama Countdown, which premieres June 25 on Amazon Prime Video. On April 14, Eric began reprising his role as the closeted real estate agent Cal Jacobs in the third season of HBO hit show Euphoria produced by and starring Zendaya as Ruby 'Rue' Bennett. Sam Levinson's drug-fueled drama will welcome newcomers Sharon Stone, Rosalía, Marshawn Lynch, and Kadeem Hardison in season three. But Dane got his big break portraying plastic surgeon Mark 'McSteamy' Sloan from 2006–2012 on the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy.
News.com.au
16-06-2025
- Health
- News.com.au
Grey's Anatomy star Eric Dane‘s emotional first TV interview since shock diagnosis
Eric Dane is slowly losing function in his body amid his 'sobering' battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The Grey's Anatomy alum discussed his struggles for the first time since being diagnosed with the aggressive neurological disorder with Diane Sawyer on Monday's episode of Good Morning America. 'I have one functioning arm. My dominant side, my left side, is functioning,' he said. 'My right side has completely stopped working', per Page Six. The Euphoria star, 52, expects that he only has 'a few more months' before his left arm and hand give out as well. 'It's sobering,' Dane said, adding that he is now 'worried' about losing function in his legs. The actor recalled first noticing symptoms of his disease, explaining that he felt weakness in his right hand. 'I didn't really think anything of it at the time,' he noted. '[I] thought maybe I had been texting too much or my hand was fatigued, but a few weeks later I noticed it had gotten a little worse.' Dane visited multiple hand specialists and neurologists for nine months until he was ultimately diagnosed with ALS. 'I will never forget those three letters,' he said of the acronym for the disease. 'It's on me the second I wake up.' Dane turns to his wife, Rebecca Gayheart, when things 'get too hard.' He and the actress — who share daughters Billie, 15, and Georgia, 13 and wed in 2004 — separated in 2018 but called off their divorce this past March, just weeks after his ALS diagnosis. 'I call Rebecca. I talk to her every day,' Dane said, getting choked up. 'We have managed to become better friends and better parents and she is probably my biggest champion and most stalwart supporter and I lean on her.' The actor remains optimistic about his fate. 'I don't think this is the end of the story,' he said through tears. 'I just don't feel in my heart like this is the end of me. I'm fighting as much as I can.' Still, Dane said that there is so much about the illness that is 'out of [his] control.' 'I'm angry because … there's a very good chance I'm going to be taken from my girls when they're very young,' he said, revealing one of his children recently rescued him from the ocean when he 'realised [he] couldn't swim.' In April, Dane announced that he was diagnosed with ALS, which is a 'nervous system disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord,' leading to 'loss of muscle control,' according to the Mayo Clinic. There is no known cure.
Daily Mail
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Emotional Eric Dane reveals his right arm has lost function amid ALS battle
For the first time ever, Eric Dane publicly spoke about how he's physically doing two months after revealing he was diagnosed with the incurable degenerative neurological disorder, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). 'I have one functioning arm. My left side is functioning. My right side, [which is my dominant side], has completely stopped working,' the 52-year-old Grey's Anatomy alum told GMA 's Diane Sawyer on Monday. '[My left arm] is going. I feel like maybe a couple, a few more months and I won't have my left hand either. Sobering. I'm worried about my legs.' Eric first experienced weakness in his right hand one year ago, but he 'thought maybe I'd been texting too much or my hand was fatigued' until a hand specialist eventually referred him to a neurologist. Dane welcomed two daughters - Billie, 15; and Georgia, 13 - during his 14-year marriage to wife Rebecca Gayheart, who dismissed her divorce petition in March following seven years of estrangement. 'I talk to her every day,' the SAG Award winner emotionally said of the 53-year-old Jawbreaker alum. 'We have managed to become better friends and better parents. And she is probably my biggest champion and my most stalwart supporter. And I lean on her.' A few months ago, Eric - a former competitive swimmer and water polo star - joined his youngest daughter on a boat trip, but when he jumped into the ocean he 'realized I couldn't swim and generate enough power to get myself back to the boat.' 'She dragged me back to the boat,' Dane recalled. 'I was, like, breaking down in tears. So I made sure [Georgia] got back in the water with her friend and continued on with the snorkeling [excursion] with the guide. But I was just heartbroken.' The San Francisco-born silver fox is 'angry' that ALS could take him from his children since he was only seven years old when his father William Melvin died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. 'I'm angry because, you know, my father was taken from me when I was young,' Eric explained. 'And now, you know, there's a very good chance I'm going to be taken from my girls while they're very young.' On average, ALS patients live two to five years following their first symptoms, but FDA-approved medications and physical/speech therapies might slow down the progression of the disorder. 'I mean, I really, at the end of the day, just, all I want to do is spend time with my family and work a little bit if I can,' Dane said. 'I don't think this is the end of my story. I just don't feel like, in my heart, I don't feel like this is the end of me.' Eric welcomed two daughters - Billie (M, pictured January 5), 15; and Georgia (L), 13 - during his 14-year marriage to wife Rebecca Gayheart (R), who dismissed her divorce petition in March following seven years of estrangement A few months ago, the SAG Award winner - a former competitive swimmer and water polo star - joined his youngest daughter on a boat trip, but when he jumped into the ocean he 'realized I couldn't swim and generate enough power to get myself back to the boat' Dane is 'angry' that ALS could take him from his children since he was only seven years old when his father William Melvin (R) died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound The San Francisco-born silver fox said: 'I'm angry because, you know, my father was taken from me when I was young. And now, you know, there's a very good chance I'm going to be taken from my girls while they're very young' Eric continued: 'I mean, I really, at the end of the day, just, all I want to do is spend time with my family and work a little bit if I can' Dane added: 'I don't think this is the end of my story. I just don't feel like, in my heart, I don't feel like this is the end of me' On April 14, Eric began reprising his role as the closeted real estate agent Cal Jacobs in the third season of HBO hit show Euphoria Audiences can next catch the Bad Boys: Ride or Die action star as Special Agent Nathan Blythe in Derek Haas' new 13-episode crime drama Countdown, which premieres June 25 on Amazon Prime Video. On April 14, Eric began reprising his role as the closeted real estate agent Cal Jacobs in the third season of HBO hit show Euphoria produced by and starring Zendaya as Ruby 'Rue' Bennett. Sam Levinson's drug-fueled drama will welcome newcomers Sharon Stone, Rosalía, Marshawn Lynch, and Kadeem Hardison in season three.
CTV News
11-06-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Restless legs syndrome: A common sleep disorder you may never have heard of
Behavioural changes and medication could help if you have restless legs syndrome, experts say. AndreyPopov/iStockphoto/Getty Images/File via CNN Newsource Karla Dzienkowski's daughter was 11 when she started coming into her mom's room at night saying she couldn't fall asleep because of a stabbing feeling in her legs. She had to walk to make it stop. The preteen became cranky and tired. Her grades started to slip, and she even fell asleep on a bench during a family trip to an amusement park, Dzienkowski said. It took three years, but Dzienkowski's family finally got an explanation for the girl's condition: restless legs syndrome. One study estimates 4% to 29% of adults in Western industrialized countries have restless legs syndrome. It is a condition that too few people can recognize in themselves, and many doctors don't know how to manage properly, said Dzienkowski, a nurse who is executive director of the Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation. Here is what experts want you to know about restless legs syndrome. What is restless legs syndrome? 'Restless legs syndrome is a neurological disorder that is characterized by a need to move that is oftentimes associated with an uncomfortable feeling,' said Dr. John Winkelman, chief of the sleep disorders clinical research program at Massachusetts General Hospital and professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. The uncomfortable feeling — described as crawling, aching, tingling or throbbing — is often in the legs and sometimes the arms, he added. Restlessness frequently happens when people with the condition are sitting or lying down, and it is relieved with movement, Winkelman said. Symptoms are more likely to occur when a person is at rest, most often at night, and because the syndrome interferes with sleep, it is classified as a sleep disorder, Winkelman said. In moderate to severe cases, people experience restless legs syndrome several times a week, and in the most extreme cases, symptoms can delay sleep for several hours, said Dr. Brian Koo, associate professor of neurology at Yale School of Medicine and director of the Yale Center for Restless Legs Syndrome. Who gets it? Two strong components play a role in who gets restless legs syndrome: genetics and iron levels. Restless legs syndrome often runs in families, and genetic markers make up about 20% of the prediction of who will get it, Winkelman said. Those with an iron deficiency are also more likely to get restless legs syndrome, including people who are pregnant, on dialysis, who are menstruating, who have anemia, or who are vegetarians, Winkelman said. Those on selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressants may also be vulnerable to restless legs syndrome, he added. The condition is twice as common in women as in men and much more common as people get older, Winkelman said. However, as Dzienkowski learned, children can have restless legs syndrome, too. Treatment with lifestyle changes To treat restless legs syndrome, a good first step is to look at what might be making the condition worse, Winkelman said. Alcohol, other medications and simple sugars may contribute to symptoms, Koo said. If iron is low — or even borderline low — oral iron supplements or intravenous iron infusions may help, Winkelman added. Dzienkowski also recommends having a 'bag of tricks' to manage symptoms, such as hot or cold packs, massages, walks or some mind-stimulating activity. 'For some reason … if you keep your mind engaged, it helps to keep symptoms at bay,' she said. Medications that can help There are medications that help if lifestyle changes and iron supplementation don't work. Many doctors will start with a class of drugs called alpha2-delta ligands, such as gabapentin or pregabalin, Koo said. For a long time, dopamine agonists were the first line of medications. But they are now prescribed infrequently because they can worsen restless legs syndrome over time, Winkelman added. The medications for the most severe cases are low-dose, long-acting opioid medications, Koo said. Talk to a doctor If you have discomfort that motivates you to move your legs at rest — particularly if doing so disturbs your sleep — talk to a doctor, Dzienkowski said. Not all medical professionals are well versed in restless legs syndrome, so asking for a referral to a sleep specialist may be helpful, she said. You should also get your lab work done, especially an iron panel with ferritin, a blood test that looks at how much iron your body has and how available it is for use, Dzienkowski said. 'The sooner you do it, the better, because you're just delaying diagnosis and treatment, which can be detrimental to your life,' she said. 'You don't realize that that sleepiness that you're feeling at work or the crankiness or you're not wanting to get out and do things could be the RLS bleeding into your daytime. … At least go have that conversation.'
