ALS is an incurable disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, according to the Mayo Clinic.
WASHINGTON — A. Russell Andrews, best known for his roles in “Better Call Saul” and “Straight Outta Compton,” has revealed that he is battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Andrews, 64, revealed his diagnosis in an interview on Sunday CNN’s Alex Michaelson. He appeared with his fiancée, actress Erica Tatzel, who is now his caretaker.
“It’s humbling, but the reality is that a year ago I walked into a loving family that I didn’t even know yet,” he said. “‘Cliche family,’ but they didn’t let us miss a step in terms of care, attention, awareness and ability to get me here today.”
Andrews revealed he first thought something was wrong during the COVID-19 pandemic and initially thought he was having a stroke.
“We had no work for three years and then we had back-to-back strikes, so there was a lot going on,” he explained to Michaelson. “There were moments, twitching… I thought I had a pinched nerve in my neck, and it happened quite frequently.”
“I couldn’t do the things I normally do. I dropped cups and glasses and at the end of the night I felt something running up and down my arm at different times and it was nerves,” he added.
Andrews said he didn’t receive a proper diagnosis until years later due to a lack of health insurance.
“I didn’t have a job for about three years. I lost my insurance,” he said. “But as we recovered from COVID-19, work resumed and I was able to resume.”
He said the first place he went was Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, and within 15 minutes of seeing his primary care doctor, she referred him to a neurologist.
ALS is an incurable disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, according to the agency. Mayo Clinic. ALS causes a loss of muscle control and gets worse over time. When voluntary muscle activity is affected, “people may lose the ability to speak, eat, move and breathe,” according to the agency. ALS Association.
According to the CDC, approximately 5,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with ALS each year.
The exact cause is unknown, and anyone of any age can be diagnosed with ALS.
One of the most notable ALS diagnoses is Eric Dane. The former “Grey’s Anatomy” star died in February, nearly a year after publicly revealing his diagnosis.
Tazel said she is still processing the diagnosis.
“I was incredibly calm when he initially shared it with me, and in a way, it was the answer to a lot of our questions,” she said.
She added that the diagnosis taught her that love “really is unconditional.”
“When he shared the news with me again, I wasn’t relieved, but I had some understanding of what was going on,” she said. “I looked at him across the room and I said, ‘At least now we know what this is, I still want to be your wife.'”
