December 30, 2025 • 54 mins
Erik Dane on ALS, Disability Visibility, and Refusing to Give Up
Erik Dane—forever remembered by many as “McSteamy” from Grey’s Anatomy—has lived much of his career in the spotlight. From blockbuster films to hit television shows, and more recently capturing a new generation on Euphoria, his career has continued to evolve. But in April 2025, at the height of renewed success, Dane was diagnosed with ALS—a devastating disease with no cure.
Now using a wheelchair, Erik Dane is still acting, still creating, and still showing up. He recently appeared on Brilliant Minds and participated in a powerful media panel discussing the role, disability visibility, and what it means to continue working in an industry that rarely makes space for visible illness. We bring you that panel—and the conversation it sparked.
As we look ahead to the new year, Erik Dane’s story is a profound reminder of two essential truths: nothing matters more than your health, and even when your body isn’t cooperating, your dreams don’t have to end.
📌 The Karel Cast is supported by viewer donations at patreon.com/reallykarel
👍 Please watch, like, and subscribe at youtube.com/reallykarel
🎧 Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartMedia, Spreaker, and more.
📺 Live Monday–Thursday at 10:30am PT, with clips on TikTok and Instagram.
Karel is a history-making broadcaster and entertainer, reporting from Las Vegas with his service dog Ember.
#ErikDane, #ALS, #DisabilityVisibility, #GreysAnatomy, #McSteamy, #Euphoria, #HollywoodNews, #HealthAwareness, #ChronicIllness, #DisabilityRights, #Inspiration, #NeverGiveUp, #EntertainmentNews, #KarelCast, #LGBTQVoices, #PodcastClips, #LasVegas, #CurrentEvents, #MentalHealth, #EmberTheServiceDog
https://youtube.com/live/RNxrJZohY8E
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-karel-cast--1368295/support.
The Karel Cast is supported by your donations at patreon.com/reallykarel and streams live Monday–Thursday at 10:30am PST. Available on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Apple Music, Spotify, iHeart Media, Spreaker, and all major platforms.
Erik Dane—forever remembered by many as “McSteamy” from Grey’s Anatomy—has lived much of his career in the spotlight. From blockbuster films to hit television shows, and more recently capturing a new generation on Euphoria, his career has continued to evolve. But in April 2025, at the height of renewed success, Dane was diagnosed with ALS—a devastating disease with no cure.
Now using a wheelchair, Erik Dane is still acting, still creating, and still showing up. He recently appeared on Brilliant Minds and participated in a powerful media panel discussing the role, disability visibility, and what it means to continue working in an industry that rarely makes space for visible illness. We bring you that panel—and the conversation it sparked.
As we look ahead to the new year, Erik Dane’s story is a profound reminder of two essential truths: nothing matters more than your health, and even when your body isn’t cooperating, your dreams don’t have to end.
📌 The Karel Cast is supported by viewer donations at patreon.com/reallykarel
👍 Please watch, like, and subscribe at youtube.com/reallykarel
🎧 Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartMedia, Spreaker, and more.
📺 Live Monday–Thursday at 10:30am PT, with clips on TikTok and Instagram.
Karel is a history-making broadcaster and entertainer, reporting from Las Vegas with his service dog Ember.
#ErikDane, #ALS, #DisabilityVisibility, #GreysAnatomy, #McSteamy, #Euphoria, #HollywoodNews, #HealthAwareness, #ChronicIllness, #DisabilityRights, #Inspiration, #NeverGiveUp, #EntertainmentNews, #KarelCast, #LGBTQVoices, #PodcastClips, #LasVegas, #CurrentEvents, #MentalHealth, #EmberTheServiceDog
https://youtube.com/live/RNxrJZohY8E
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-karel-cast--1368295/support.
The Karel Cast is supported by your donations at patreon.com/reallykarel and streams live Monday–Thursday at 10:30am PST. Available on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Apple Music, Spotify, iHeart Media, Spreaker, and all major platforms.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Show Time is here. No time to fear.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Corilla is so near because show time is here.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
So on with the show. Let's give it a go.
Speaker 3 (00:11):
Corilla is the one that you need to know. Now.
Speaker 4 (00:16):
It's show time.
Speaker 5 (00:30):
Today's show is about bravery. Eric Dane, actor diagnosed with ALS.
We got to sit in on a media panel with him,
and you're going to sit in on it too, as
we explore life with.
Speaker 6 (00:42):
Disabilities, uncensored, unfiltered, fun hinged.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
It's the Corall Cast.
Speaker 7 (00:52):
Listen daily on your favorite streaming service.
Speaker 5 (01:00):
It is the Crowd Cast. I Am Correll. Happy Tuesday,
December thirtieth, Just one more day left in this year
by twenty twenty five, Child of good riddance. All right.
A lot of you may not know that both of
my parents were disabled. My mother was four foot nine.
She had an intermediary spike in her leg that replaced
(01:20):
a bone. Think about that. She was bow legged, she walked,
you know, kind of funny. She had child and adult
stage rickets, which is a bone disease vitamin D deficiency.
It happened a lot in the thirties and forties. She
was blind at one point from cataracts in both eyes.
She had two knee replacements at the same time had
(01:44):
to learn how to walk again. My father had alternative colitis,
Crohn's disease, disinhydrate egzema, all kinds of different maladies that
affected him as well, and he was all in electrolyte
imbalances that often put him into the hospital. My father
was often in a wheelchair, with my four foot nine
mother pushing him. I grew up in hospitals, emergency rooms,
(02:07):
and doctor's offices the VA a lot because my dad
was on VA disability. And you know, people were very
cruel in the sixties and seventies and eighties to my
mom and to my dad being disabled. But more importantly,
my mom and dad never saw themselves on television. There
(02:28):
was never anybody in a wheelchair except ironside. You know.
It just people with disabilities of all types. They're just invisible,
you know, we don't really see them. And that is
tragic because I never saw my parents on TV. I
never saw a show where the mom was handicapped or
(02:51):
the dad was disabled, or both were disabled. But both
my parents were disabled. And now technically I have a disability.
I am on disability. My back is so messed up
that I can't maintain the schedule that I used to maintain.
Walking hurts. Just two nights ago, I woke up with
(03:12):
a Charlie horse in my left calf, the one that
keeps twitching. That was so painful. I jumped out of
bed crying and stretched it out and did everything I
could to make it go away. It's happened for decades now,
maybe three or four times a year again because of
my back and so living with a disability. Even now
(03:35):
in today's world, we don't see a lot of people
with disabilities on TV. That's why I love the show
Silent Witness on BritBox. There's there's always someone with a
disability on that show. Death they have a little person
on the show now they I mean, I've seen many
shows nowadays. Have you know a blind person, a deaf person?
(03:55):
But not that many, not like every show, And so
dealing with disabilities is hard enough for the disabled person,
but the population of disabled people never see themselves in
advertising in anything. A lot of you may also know
(04:16):
that I thought I had well. The doctors had to
rule out als because of my twitching leg from the vaccine,
and I went to the als clinic at Cedars in
Los Angeles where actor Eric Dane went and the people
(04:38):
that were there still functioning still, you know, in wheelchairs
or whatever, speaking on phones, even though their voices were shot.
First of all, I was terrified. I think we're all
terrified of ALS. I remember watching a movie in the
seventies about the Lou Griggs disease. It was terrifying. Then
(04:58):
it's the Disease of the Week movie, and it's terrifying now. Well.
Eric Dane, gorgeous, vibrant actor, has ALS. He was diagnosed
in April. However, he just did a guest spot on
the show Brilliant Minds, which is on NBC. I Believe
(05:21):
about a doctor, and I was invited to sit and
watch a panel of the show's creators and Eric Dane
talking about this episode and what it was like for
him to do it and why it's important to get
people with ALS out into the public view so we
(05:41):
can find a cure. Because Eric Danes will probably be
gone within sixteen to eighteen money and that's the tragic.
So the rest of the show is going to be
this panel discussion. I hope you like it. I hope
you learn something from it. And it's got superstars.
Speaker 7 (06:00):
Visiting really kill dot com daily. You're missing out. Get
the podcast videos and the blug including recipes at reallycorrel
dot com. That's really ka r e l dot com.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
Show Time is here. No time to fear.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
Correll is so near because showtime is here.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
So on with the show. Let's give it a go.
Speaker 3 (06:25):
Correll is the one that you need to know.
Speaker 5 (06:29):
Okay, I just want to reiterate before we go, that
it takes so much courage for Eric Dane to do
this panel and to be on that show. This man
was a vibrant, gorgeous actor and now you can tell
what als is doing to him, and he wanted to
show people and here it is.
Speaker 8 (06:48):
Hey, everyone, welcome. I'm Andrea Goodman, CEO of I Am Alas,
and we're grateful to have so many of you joining
us today on this Giving Tuesday, We're honored to celebrate
the extraordinary work behind NBC's critically acclaimed series Brilliant Minds
and the team who brought one of its most powerful
episodes to life. We're thrilled to welcome Brilliant Minds creator,
(07:11):
showrunner and executive producer Michael Grassi and consulting producer and
writer doctor Danielle lamis the creative voices behind an episode
that is rich, layered, deeply human, and speaks directly to
our community. Together and with the help of their writers room,
they've crafted a story that reflects the complexities, courage, and
(07:35):
emotional truth of navigating an ALS diagnosis. We're also joined
by acclaimed actor Eric Dane, whose body of work has
connected with audiences for decades. In this episode, now streaming
on Peacock, Eric delivers a deeply moving, grounded performance as Matthew,
a firefighter confronting an ALS diagnosis. The storyline holds a
(07:59):
personal significance for Eric. He's been incredibly open about his
own journey and has partnered with IMLS to accelerate progress
towards a cure. I'm also honored to introduce Brian Wallack
and Sondra Abrava, co founders of IMALS, whose leadership has
transformed the ALS landscape, including building a national movement, securing
(08:22):
more than one point two billion dollars for ALS research
and treatments, and passing the landmark Law Act for ALS.
They're an inspiration to us all and we're grateful to
have their voices as part of this important dialogue. This
episode is a testament to the power of representation, collaboration,
and truth in storytelling. If you're moved by today's conversation,
(08:46):
we invite you to learn more about our work and
ways you can make an impact by visiting IMALS dot org.
Speaker 9 (08:54):
Welcome everybody.
Speaker 10 (08:56):
It's an incredible clip from an incredible episode. I'm Sandra,
my husband Brian. We're eight years into ALS, so I'll
be translating for Brian as he shares today, but we're
so excited to be here together. And my goodness, are
we so grateful to Eric and Michael and Danielle and
(09:18):
the team at Brilliant Minds for such a phenomenal truth telling, hopeful,
hard hitting, honest, all the things that one would hope
for in a story about an ALS family in this episode.
Speaker 9 (09:36):
So just like incredible.
Speaker 10 (09:37):
Gratitude to start off with for the work that you
all did today. I'm excited to play moderator and ask
questions that we're excited to hear from our producers and
from Eric, and you know, just before we dive in,
I wanted to share that one of my favorite things
(10:00):
about the episode is really about the agency that you
lose as someone diagnosed with ALS and how you find
yourself grappling for ways to still be in control and
have power.
Speaker 9 (10:17):
And the thing you care most about in your life
is your.
Speaker 10 (10:19):
Family, of course, and so Bran and I have on
such a deep level experienced what it's like for someone
with ALS to want to protect your family is the
only thing you feel like you can control. And just
like really brilliantly done in this episode. So in any case, Eric,
(10:44):
you've been already an incredible advocate, and Brian was very
disappointed to miss advocating on Capitol Hill with you in
your most recent visit, but we are coming to your
next visit. So thank you for all your ad I
can see already. Thank you for doing this episode and
are you know sort of let's get into it and
(11:05):
love to hear you share with everybody. You know, how
did you become interested in guest starring on Brilliant Minds,
What made you want to take on this role, and
how did it feel to bring these pieces of your
own lived experience into a scripted character.
Speaker 11 (11:24):
Thanks Sandra. You know, Michael reached out to me and
we got on some calls and had some pretty in
depth conversations, and that helped inform sort of the story
you wanted to tell. The hardest thing for me to
(11:48):
do was to separate myself from the character because it
was something that was so fresh and it was something
that was so real to me. I've never played a
character who's going through something and something I'm dealing with
in real time in real life as well. So it
(12:10):
was hard and there were moments where it was very
difficult for me me even get the lines out. But overall,
I was really grateful for the experience. I found it
to be a big cathartic and Michael and Danielle were
(12:31):
so great and sort of sort of shepherding along this
there's this tired old actor can barely speak and put
me in a position for great success, and I'm grateful
for that for that.
Speaker 10 (12:49):
Well, Michael and Daniella and working with Eric. Maybe Michael first,
can you tell us about that creative process for the
episode and how you and Danielle a partnered in the
writer's room to pen such a beautiful narrative around Eric's character,
And also, you know, did you ask anything of Eric
(13:10):
in terms of his performance before the shooting began.
Speaker 12 (13:14):
Well, thank you, Sandra and nice nice to meet you,
Brian and Eric, thank you for saying all of that.
Speaker 3 (13:21):
Well.
Speaker 12 (13:22):
I think this episode would not have been possible without
Eric and his generosity and his collaboration. And from our
very first conversation together, I think we knew we wanted
to tell a grounded story, something that would be relatable
to a lot of people. How does a family navigate
(13:45):
a difficult diagnosis is one thing, and then the other
thing in our conversations that became apparent is we wanted
to create a character, in this case, a firefighter who
dedicated his life to helping others.
Speaker 5 (13:59):
That's who he is, That's who who.
Speaker 12 (14:01):
At his core, you know, he's always given, and I
think for many people it's very difficult to accept help.
So these two big pieces of navigating a diagnosis for
for the person who's dealing with it, but also for
the entire family, and also accepting help are the two
things that we were sort of circling in terms of
(14:23):
anchoring our story for this episode and in terms of
the conversations with Eric. Eric, I feel like from the
very beginning we sort of the lines of communication had
to be very open as we sort of entered this
process together, and I think it was just very important
for us to meet Eric where he was and and
(14:44):
and and Eric showed up every single day and and
and he blew us away. And he was incredible and
was so committed to this character and this story, and
it was incredible. And I'm very grateful to him. And
it was an incredible process.
Speaker 10 (15:02):
Michael, Sorry, Daniella would love to hear you share as
well on that front.
Speaker 13 (15:09):
Sure, well, I was just thinking, I guess as as
we were talking that you know, I've watched medical TV forever.
I mean, how I first know Eric Dane and uh,
there are zebra diagnoses that you see on like every
medical TV show, like over and over and over again.
You don't you don't really see als, right and uh
(15:32):
and uh and I had worked on other medical show previously.
Speaker 9 (15:35):
It pitched sort of various.
Speaker 14 (15:36):
Als is always it's always nicks, right because uh, it's
nixed because there isn't the TV win uh where oh
it was a misdiagnosis or oh we we found a cure.
But I think, you know, I think working uh in
the writer's room and working uh and and talking to
Eric and hearing some of the things sort of he
was telling us about his own journeys so far are.
(16:01):
It gave us a way to tell a story that
has a different kind of win and and I think
being able to put that on TV and and to
work with somebody who is really dealing with these exact issues, uh,
you know, gave it, gave it that sort of unique
power that that made it a story that works for
(16:21):
television while also being true.
Speaker 13 (16:24):
And and I think, uh yeah.
Speaker 10 (16:29):
I just will interject that I thought that one of
the TV wins that you did get out of it
is that you told a story about how well there
isn't a cure today. There are right, the doctor says,
thousands of people working on this. There's so much accelerated
research and in the meantime, we want to support you
(16:49):
this character to be as comfortable as possible.
Speaker 9 (16:52):
But also you know, you are.
Speaker 10 (16:54):
Responsive to the daughters ask right to you know, enrolling
clinical trials to get.
Speaker 9 (16:59):
Access to cutting edge treatment.
Speaker 10 (17:01):
So anyway, I just wanted to share that, you know,
I don't know anything about TV writing, but I felt,
as a consumer of the information the win from it.
Speaker 9 (17:11):
So thank you both for that.
Speaker 11 (17:13):
Well.
Speaker 10 (17:13):
Eric, curious for you to share, maybe even beyond the
diagnosis of the character that you have in common. Were
there other characteristics of the character you play.
Speaker 9 (17:25):
That you felt are similar to your own.
Speaker 10 (17:27):
Character or personality and maybe kind of continue from that.
Has this informed the kind of characters you want to
play moving forward, or have you had put any thought
to that.
Speaker 11 (17:41):
Yeah, I found a lot similarities between Alien. It's an
obvious damon to make, but a lot of similarities, and
some of the things that Michael and I to talk
about actually ended up in the story. I you know,
(18:01):
I'm fairly limited in what I can do physically as
an actor, but I still have my brain and I
still have my speech, you know. So I'm I'm willing
to do just about anything. I'll take on any role,
but I think from here on out, it's gonna have
(18:23):
to me, you know, als centric. There's gonna be me
very difficult for me to play any other role where
you know, you know, look at the inner bou gerol
in the room, and I'm I'm fine with that. I'm
(18:45):
fine with that as long I'm grateful that I can
still work in any capacity. But yeah, I did find
a lot of similarities between this guy, you know who.
It's funny it was one day On said I was
I was in rehearsalon. I was chewing gum and the
directors said, you have to chew gum in this, you
(19:09):
have to chew gum. And this we're gonna pick a
couple of scenes where's chewing gum. And I've never chewed
gum on screen before in front of a camera, but
it felt that it felt like me and I'm gonna
take that with me from here around. Like when the
keep chewing gum, it.
Speaker 9 (19:30):
Feels like a good off label. You guys like to
keep the muscles like going.
Speaker 11 (19:35):
It's really it came to Kani in the moment. You're
you know you have an activity that you're doing that
you know you even can even keep you sustain.
Speaker 5 (19:48):
All right, we'll be right back with more of this
press conference with Eric Dane and wow, already right, I mean,
just the courage. I don't know that I could do it.
I I don't know that I could go in public anymore.
Speaker 15 (20:05):
Wow, We'll be right back now. Is show.
Speaker 5 (20:37):
Eric Dane has appeared in hundreds of episodes of television
and over twenty films. He was known as a sex symbol,
a big hunk, and then he got als. Now his
life and the roles have changed, but he is still
out there trying to make a difference. More of our conversation,
not our conversation, but more of the conversation with Eric,
(20:58):
Dane and I am ALS.
Speaker 9 (21:03):
Well. Brian don't ask to choose them, but Eric before
the two of us, Michael and Danielle.
Speaker 10 (21:17):
I'm curious, like, as you thought both about what this
episode would mean to Eric and then also the broader
ALS community. Were there certain issues you grappled with, certain
things you really wanted to get right as you wrote it.
Speaker 12 (21:32):
I think one of the biggest things, and we talked
about this in the room quite a bit. We two
of our writers have family members who lived with ALS,
so it was personal in the room. And one of
the things that we talked about is that we didn't
want to sensationalize this. We didn't want to We've seen
(21:59):
some medicals where people come in and they have a
diagnosis and then there's a magical fix at the end,
or there's a magical cure, and that wasn't the story
that we were telling with this episode, and it was
important for us to not only raise awareness, but do
it in a way that didn't feel sensationalized and felt
(22:19):
like it was a story that people can find themselves in,
and that was really the biggest priority is that people
could watch this and if it could reach out to
someone and make them feel like they weren't alone and
make them feel like I could see myself in this,
or I can see my family in this. I think
that those were the things that we really wanted to hit.
Speaker 11 (22:43):
Yeah, it was really uncanny how much you got this
right A lot. I was every scene I was in,
I was like, this is so, this is so you know,
sharp and intelligent. What a wonderful observation. You know it's horrible,
but what a great inertation of it. I think it
(23:09):
was a good remusentation.
Speaker 10 (23:11):
Yeah, Brian, the moment where Eric your characters like, no,
I'm doing the breathing test again, I can do better.
Speaker 9 (23:21):
Oh my god. The number of times where it's like
I've done that. It is what it is, babe, Like Yeah.
Speaker 12 (23:29):
And my favorite part of shooting that scene was Eric
ad libbed something hilarious and amazing at the end of
that scene every single time, And what made into the
cut was letter rip for her second one for the
second breathings. As much I love, but he had sharp
he was making everyone laugh on set, especially Ari Kreps,
who plays Dana, is a huge Gray Anatomy fan, so
(23:50):
when she learned she'd be sharing the screen with Eric Dane,
it was truly a dream come true moment for her
and many And.
Speaker 10 (23:58):
Well, Danielle, you've written about als and the New York
Times and uh, you know, you're very familiar with the
disease and curious what from your perspective you really wanted
to get right as well.
Speaker 13 (24:11):
Yeah, I mean, we wanted to get all of it right.
But but uh, you.
Speaker 9 (24:17):
Know, I think I think, I mean, as everyone was.
Speaker 13 (24:19):
Saying, sort of the human experience of something without toes
Michael's word, sensationalizing it. You know, I think sort of
working in the ICU is you know, when I work
in the hospital, and like we see people sort of
facing a lot of inflection points, some that are huge
and some that might appear to the outside world to
be smaller. What is it really a machine strapped to
the face?
Speaker 10 (24:39):
Uh?
Speaker 13 (24:39):
And I you know, but but like but like these
these moments, these moments that that that that that changed
sort of the nature of somebody's life, and like how
people navigate that stuff.
Speaker 14 (24:53):
I think it's fascinating.
Speaker 9 (24:54):
And I think I think really.
Speaker 13 (24:57):
Showing uh the extent, which like like like I'm always
amazing in the hospital, people are fucking amazing, Like you
guys are amazing, Like Britt, You're you're amazing, Like Soundra,
You're amazing, Like I mean, Eric, like you're you're you're awesome,
and like people are people who Yeah, I mean you
said this to us.
Speaker 9 (25:15):
And one of these calls, Eric, you didn't say I'm amazing.
Speaker 13 (25:18):
You said like you said, you know that like you've
dealt with this with like like a plumb that you
like didn't expect. You know, You're like, I'm a whiner,
but like I'm not really whining.
Speaker 4 (25:27):
I think with something like that you said.
Speaker 11 (25:28):
Right, that's true.
Speaker 5 (25:30):
Hopefully I'm not al to you.
Speaker 9 (25:32):
That'd be an awkward one.
Speaker 13 (25:33):
But but you know, but showing like the ex yeah,
like like people have a lot of people, not everyone.
People need support to have resilience, like you, it's hard
to have resilience alone in a vacuum. But but but
when when when when sort of called to the task,
people can be awesome. And I feel like our show
(25:53):
really tries to tell that story often, and and and
I think, you know, we want I wanted to show
with this. You know, it wasn't it's a really bad diagnosis.
We didn't want to tell a dismal story. And and
and I think, you know, I think that's that's what
we tried to get across. That people are funny, people
have grit, people are awesome.
Speaker 7 (26:13):
It's broadcasting from a completely different point of view yours.
Listen daily to the Corell Cast on your favorite streaming service.
Speaker 1 (26:29):
Show Time is here. No time to fear.
Speaker 2 (26:32):
Corilla is so near because showtime is here.
Speaker 1 (26:36):
So on with the show. Let's give it a go.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
Carrilla is the one that you need to know.
Speaker 7 (26:44):
Now.
Speaker 16 (26:45):
It's show side, inspiring, heartbreaking, so many things.
Speaker 5 (27:02):
Today's show is I Am Als. It's the name of
the show that we're watching. It has Eric Dane on it,
the actor, and he's talking about his adventures.
Speaker 6 (27:12):
With Als, uncensored, unfiltered, un hinged.
Speaker 1 (27:19):
He's the Koel Cast.
Speaker 7 (27:21):
Listen daily on your favorite streaming service.
Speaker 5 (27:28):
You know, I hope you're enjoying this. I really am.
It is the Crowcast. This is part two to go
from Eric Dane beautiful, big, huge movie star, gorgeous guy
to the guy in the wheelchair within just a matter
of months, and to still act this takes courage. I
want to hear more. So let's hear more.
Speaker 10 (27:48):
Daniella, still practicing as a doctor and probably really having
a still weekly view of how families navigate these diagnoses.
What was something that you really wanted to make sure
to elevate in terms of how families connect around news
(28:10):
like this, how they carry it either alone or willing
to share the burden. Just curious for any of your
thoughts on that front about families.
Speaker 13 (28:21):
Yeah, I think, you know, we tried to show sort
of a range of reactions without that would be demonstrated
without judgment, like and so uh, you know the fact
that there there isn't uh, there isn't a right or
wrong way, and maybe somebody's initial sort of I'll do
(28:41):
this thing like like you know, it might not it
might not be realistic ultimately, and like you know, I
think I think trying to uh and I think, yeah,
I think I think trying to tell a story that
that that built in the fact that like we weren't
going to leave this family with this idea that like
(29:04):
they would like do it alone, and like telling a
story about something that like that like ultimately isn't really possible,
I think was a few of ours, and so I
think I think bringing in a larger community was was
really helpful. And I think, you know, there's so much
right like and we don't tell it all in the
span of one episode, but but really showing how like
(29:26):
the entire history of one's relationship like comes to bear
like in these moments, I think was also something that
we kind of wanted to wanted to be able to
get into a little bit.
Speaker 10 (29:37):
Yeah, the scene with the ex's wife with the psychiatrist
was so compelling to really beautifully done. Okay, Michael, if
you feel willing to spill the beans just a little bit,
can you tell us where Eric scripted parts that weren't originally.
Speaker 12 (29:56):
Scripted, Well, listen, they're definitely was some ad lib in there,
and every time he did it, it was pure gold
and whatever whatever was there definitely be on screen because
Eric's so funny and so fun and a lot of
the magic also happened when we called cut and just
getting to chat with Eric and and Eric connecting with
our cast and our crew was some of the best moments.
(30:18):
Getting to collaborate with him and I'm just very grateful
for our time together on set in Toronto.
Speaker 11 (30:24):
He was, He's amazing.
Speaker 3 (30:26):
Eric's amazing.
Speaker 11 (30:28):
Thank you, Michael. I feel the same way about you.
I had such a great time working on this show.
It is a very very tight group up there in Toronto,
and you know, it's very it's not easy to get
a crew together actors and crew members and producers, writers
(30:52):
and directors and are all seemingly on the same page,
committed to a singular focus, which is to put the
best probably they can on the screen and and and
tell a great story. And that's what everybody was focused on.
(31:13):
I saw that right away, and it was a nice
it made it made me feel welcome and and kind
of comforted, and it was a familiar feeling to me.
There was a feeling of familiarity out there, and so
I had I had a wonderful time. My Michael, Well,
(31:34):
thank you for seeing all that.
Speaker 12 (31:35):
Eric, and we really it was important for all of
us to step up and make Eric proud and make
sure he felt welcome. But Eric showed up every day
and stepped up and and he was amazing and sort
of like everyone really wanted to make this special and
the work is all on screen and in the story
(31:57):
and the storytelling it and Eric's performance, so so I'm
very grateful, very very grateful.
Speaker 5 (32:03):
You know, Eric Dane is still handsome. I have to
tell you, I'd still go Wow, he's hot. And here
he is talking about the challenges of acting with ALS.
I hope you're enjoying it. We'll finish up when we
come back with this particular interview. And I just I'm
gob back at the courage of all of you, everybody
(32:25):
that we're watching and living with this.
Speaker 7 (32:28):
If you're not visiting really corell dot com daily, you're
missing out. Get the podcast videos and the blug including
recipes at reallycorrel dot com. That's really k A R
e l dot com.
Speaker 2 (32:42):
Show Time is here. No time to fear. Correll is
so near because show time is here. So on with
the show. Let's give it a go.
Speaker 3 (32:53):
Correll is the one.
Speaker 5 (32:55):
That you need to know, all right. It is the crowdcast.
And on this next to the last day of the year,
we are watching a press conference about Eric Dane being
on the show Brilliant Minds, but more importantly about living
with ALS. None of us can imagine what it would
be like to get that diagnosis. I for a month
(33:16):
or two months while I was waiting to go, I
was terrified everything was a symptom. I was starting to
think about dying within two years and what about Ember?
And it was just horrific to even live in the
shadow of it, but to be him and then to
continue acting, I just can't. So let's watch the final
(33:37):
part of this I am als and then we'll come
back to regular topics.
Speaker 10 (33:43):
Well, I think that gratitude was expressed through this standing
ovation that there was some news of looked like an
incredible moment. Eric, and you know, we would have like
been right there a longside everybody. It's remarkable the way
(34:03):
you are leveraging your superpower to do something around communicating
about this disease that no one else has had an
opportunity to have. You're You're literally doing something no one
has ever done before with this.
Speaker 11 (34:18):
I'm not about to conceive my impermanits for some disease
it is not capable of doing that.
Speaker 10 (34:28):
Well, Brian and I I'm very grateful to have you
on this journey with us. I know Brian also wanted
to share how he felt about the episode, and for Brian,
he communicates now with I Gays and it takes a while,
(34:49):
so I just want to take a moment, if you
guys will all bear with me, to sort of pull
up what Brian took some time to hammer out on
I Gays. So I shared with Brian, you know, we
wanted to hear from him about from the perspective of
someone who's transformed a lot of the legislation and federal
(35:10):
funding and the medical community work around this disease.
Speaker 9 (35:15):
What impact do you hope this.
Speaker 10 (35:16):
Episode has on those broader conversations? And Brian with I
Gaze typed the following that I'll read, which is first
before I answer. I want to say a huge thank
you to everyone who was involved in this episode of
Brilliant Minds. Eric's performance is raw and powerful and beautiful,
(35:38):
and I'd also like to thank all the caregivers out
there who are endlessly supporting people living with ALS. My
hope is that this episode brings awareness to millions of
people who may or may not know about what ALS
brings onto families and the individuals diagnosed. It doesn't discriminate,
It can affect anyone matter your race, or age or sex,
(36:02):
and I hope this episode brings awareness that ALS isn't
just a medical condition, but a policy and research and
human issue, and Sondra, myself and the entire im ALS
community have worked for years to show that the system
isn't permanently broken, that there's hope, and that when ALS
(36:24):
is shown clearly with compassion, as you all have done
in this episode, it becomes harder for leaders in healthcare
and policy to ignore it and easier for us to
demand action.
Speaker 9 (36:36):
So Brian wanted to say thank you for that. Thank you, Brian,
Michael and Daniella.
Speaker 10 (36:49):
You cover some tough topics, including ALS, and you sort
of talked about the win.
Speaker 9 (36:57):
How do you know? Sort of how do you think?
Speaker 10 (37:00):
I shared a bit about how I think you won,
but curious how you all as a writer's room felt
like you were able to win and deliver the message
about this disease. That exactly to your point. I mean,
are you all truly the first to have depicted it?
I mean, I have no recollection of it being depicted
on a medical show before.
Speaker 12 (37:21):
CenTra. I can't speak to that stat I don't I
don't know these it's the first first, let's say the first.
Let's say it's the first. No, I let's yeah, let's
say that. I think the biggest thing that I feel
like we accomplished altogether was the fact that there are
(37:46):
characters with agency on screen. Eric's character Matthew who has agency,
and all of these family members who want to help,
and everyone is involved, and they're having conversations about something
that is really important and really difficult conversations to have.
They are not easy topics. And having these incredible actors
(38:11):
to pick these characters, which I think families everywhere around
the world can see themselves in, I think is the
biggest accomplishment. This show is inspired by a doctor. His
name is Oliver Sacks, and Oliver Sacks is a man
who dedicated his life to writing about conditions that were
(38:33):
often lesser known or very scary to talk about. He
dedicateds like to destigmatizing mental health and mental illness. So
when we started making Brilliant Minds, that's what we want
to do with every single one of our episodes, and
this episode in particular is an example of that and
carrying that torch forward and that if we're talking about
(38:56):
something it's helping to destigmatize it, it's also helping to
raise awareness. So so so I think that's the biggest win.
I would I would share about this, but Daniella probably
has a more eloquent answer.
Speaker 9 (39:07):
Oh, I was gonna say that was good.
Speaker 4 (39:09):
Now I agree, you know.
Speaker 13 (39:11):
I think look, I think there's like there's a drive
in TV shows to have these you know, big escalations
and alarms blaring and stuff like that. And I think
being able to tell a story that that didn't sort
of artificially import that, to tell a story about a
person making decisions and connecting reconnecting with with people that
(39:31):
that he loves, I think, I think is is a win.
Speaker 10 (39:36):
So yeah, I think, well, everyone at I am a
LUs is very grateful for this work that you all
have done.
Speaker 3 (39:47):
Eric.
Speaker 10 (39:48):
Our last question is for you. You know, you said
you're not letting go of your purpose, which we love.
We feel the same way. We're tripling down on our
purpose and we're excited to triple down with you. Maybe
if you could share why, why and how you process
(40:09):
this sort of new journey and sort of self imposed
responsibility right to use your superpower for this good. How
do you think about that? You know, what do you
hope people understand about this journey? And how do you
want to drive impact.
Speaker 11 (40:29):
Well. The first thing is, like I was telling Danielle,
I have no reason to me in a good spirit
at any time on any given day. I don't think
anybody would blame me if I went upstairs in my
bedroom crawling under the sheets. And it's been the next
(40:49):
two weeks crying, and I was. I was a little
bit pleasantly surprised to realize that I wasn't building that
because I love are sure that was gonna be me.
You know, any time I got to don't worry about
a diagnosis like this, I'm for sure I was gonna
(41:10):
be the the ladder. I turned out to be the former,
which which is very encouraging. It's encouraging for me to
know that I actually can have like a buoyant spirit
in the face of something so horrible. This experience was
(41:32):
was was one of a kind. I don't I don't
know that I ever do it again for anybody else,
you know, I I think it's it's it's it's imperative
that I share my journey with as many people as
(41:56):
I can, because I don't feel like my life life
is about me anymore. And it's something I've had to
wrestle with because I'm a pretty selfish person, and I
would love my life to be all about me, but
I just I just can't. I don't think I can.
(42:20):
I don't think i'd be able to move forward if
that were the case. That's helping. It's been very propulsive.
It's been a propulsive sort of component to my existence.
You know. Obviously I have a family at home and
they're the first priority, but this is such a big
deal to me, you know, to make sure that people
(42:43):
are aware of what's what als is and what it's about,
and more importantly, what we can do to combat it
and improve the landscape because it's so it's so rocky
and littered with hurdles and bureaucracy and all this other
(43:03):
nonsense that we're trying to sift there so we can
get to a place where we go start working on solutions.
And I think Brian and Sona are doing a great job,
and that's why I parted it up with them, so,
you know, and in clothing, this whole thing was just
(43:24):
such a such a wonderful experience, you know, and the
thing that we're doing today is such a I think
it's so fantastic that we can get this out to
people let them know that well, this is what it
looks like.
Speaker 10 (43:42):
Okay, I lied before trying to get over to and
I just want to say that that right there, that
there is hope, that there are treatments on the horizon,
and that if this episode and you know sort of
what Eric is doing inspires you to take action, that's
that's a amazing That's the only way we're going to
(44:02):
drive forward towards you know, the treatments and the cure
that we think is right around the corner.
Speaker 8 (44:10):
So thank you you're here. Wow, what an incredibly powerful discussion.
Thank you everybody to NBC, Warner Brothers Television, and Berlanzi
Productions for your support. To Eric and Michael and Daniella,
your openness, artistry and commitment to raising awareness about als
(44:32):
is making such a real difference to our community. We
hope you continue to champion stories and communities like ours
who deserve to be seen and heard. And if you're
listening and you miss this incredible episode of Brilliant Minds,
you can stream it on Peacock. New episodes air Mondays
on NBC. To Brian and Sondra, We're all so proud
(44:54):
of the movement. You built that is I am ALS.
Thank you for creating a community defined by ridge connection
and an unwavering belief in what's possible. As you've heard today,
ALS is not just a storyline. It's a lived reality
for thousands of individuals and families, and we invite you
to learn more and join the movement by visiting imails
(45:16):
dot org. Thank you all for spending this time with us.
Your support genuinely makes a difference. Thank you all.
Speaker 5 (45:25):
Wow. Wow, First of all, I saw that episode. It
is so moving. You know, aren't imitating life or life
imitating art? Ken We'll finish up right after this. Don't
go anywhere. Wow, this is a big wow.
Speaker 11 (45:44):
All right.
Speaker 4 (46:05):
Now it's show side.
Speaker 5 (46:20):
Alrighty. You know I took a chance playing that. Some
of you probably aren't here. You tuned out, you went away, whatever,
But a few of you stayed and a few of
you got inspired and maybe gave At the bottom. There
was a way to donate.
Speaker 8 (46:41):
You know.
Speaker 5 (46:43):
When I watched that the first time while editing it
for the show, you know, I thought to myself, what
would you do? You know, I worry so much about
my health. I do, as you all know, I have
medical anxiety, but I act like if something were to happen, cancer,
als ms, whatever, that life would just stop. And it doesn't.
(47:07):
It doesn't stop until you stop breathing. And I know
that I would still try to be me, you know,
up until you know. I'd make it all a show.
I'd i'd take you with me to chemotherapy, or I'd
show you what they were doing to me and the
you know whatever. I'd let let them operate on me.
I'd bring you to the O R. You know, I
(47:30):
as long as I could speak, and then even if
I couldn't. If I couldn't speak, I'd probably write, but
I would I would keep communicating. Eric Dane's an actor
and he wants to die an actor, uh and make
more money for his family, obviously, and to see that
(47:51):
kind of bravery. We don't see bravery like that every
disabled person that gets up and goes out into the world. No,
they're going to be judged. You know, they're good. I
saw Eric Day in there and thought he's hot. I'd
still sleep with him, you know, but knowing that they're
going to be judged not by who they are, but
(48:13):
first by what you see. And as wonderful as all
of you are, you know that's still a thing. When
you see a handicapped person, the first thing you do
is notice the difference, not the sameness. And what we
always forget is it's their body that's handicapped. Their brain,
(48:35):
their mind, their spirit, their soul is still in there
wanting everything yours does. People in wheelchairs and this I
don't want to say trans people have a handicap, but
it goes the same for trans people. They have a
medical condition, and in order to be themselves, they have
(48:58):
to go out and be judged every fucking single day
by trump, by you, by their bosses, by everybody. My
mom is the reason I am the way that I am.
My mother, Rose Marie Tromblay Boulat is the reason I
can say fuck anything, fuck it all, you know, because
(49:19):
I watched her get laughed at. I watched her not
be able to do things that other moms could do,
but still try to do those things. I've carried my mother,
I've changed my mother's diaper, I've you know, I've done
so many things over my lifetime with my mom because
(49:40):
of her disabilities, and then later of course when she
was in the nursing home and everywhere we went, especially
when I got bigger. You know, here, I'm five ten,
mom's four nine, you know, and people are always like
that came out of you. You know, they didn't believe
we were mother and son because somehow a four foot
(50:03):
nine woman just couldn't possibly have, you know, an able
bodied young man. It's it's a world that is unforgiving
and the courage that it takes to be different. And
that's what a disability really is about. I mean, they're
(50:26):
not totally disabled, even quadriplegics. Look at Stephen Hawkings, you know,
but you're different. You're not the same. And I know
a lot about that about being different, and it takes
so much courage when you are different. You know, everyone
calls me courageous. I see Eric Dane and I think
(50:48):
that's courageous. I'm not courageous. I'm just being correl, you
know him, that's courageous. So I hope on December thirtieth,
if you watched it, I hope that this inspired you,
that it educated you, that it will make you a
(51:10):
little more. How I say this, I know you're all
decent people.
Speaker 8 (51:15):
But.
Speaker 5 (51:17):
Maybe you'll go out of your way to talk to
people who are disabled, to help to volunteer or to
just treat them normally. You know, the last thing a
disabled person wants is to be treated differently. That's what
(51:37):
the last thing a trans person wants, the last thing
a gay person wants, the last thing that any different
person wants is to be treated differently. And we don't
set up the world for different people, particularly handicapped. You know,
(51:57):
our country is pre good nowhere near where it needs
to be. Other countries it's a crab shoot. I mean,
I can't imagine being in a wheelchair in London or
other places where the city just isn't built for that.
So being different, no matter what it is, meeting challenges
(52:23):
and still getting up and going outside and facing the day,
still going to your job, now that's courageous. So I
hope that this episode gives you some courage if you're different,
if you're handicapped, if you're facing an illness. He knows
he's going to die, and he knows he's going to
(52:46):
die within the next year, year and a half. He
knows that the only person to live with als beyond
three to five years, Stephen Hawkins. He had a slow
moving progression, and there are very few three percent of
people with als are somewhere around there have one that
progresses slowly. Everyone else twenty four months from diagnosis, and
(53:11):
it usually takes a year just to get a diagnosis.
We need to cure this, We need AI to help.
We need to cure this and so many other diseases
that affect people and just devastate their lives, neurological diseases.
And look at Michael J. Fox. There's another example of courage,
(53:33):
Michael J. Fox. So draw inspiration from them and maybe
realize your problems aren't quite so bad.
Speaker 1 (53:45):
I am COREL.
Speaker 5 (53:46):
Tomorrow's New Year's Eve, I will be here with a
year end show, so please tune in for that. Be
who you want to be into unless it be who
you want to be, so long as it doesn't hurt.
Anybody probably said that five bouts time. I don't know
a lot, and we'll see tomorrow much club.
Speaker 7 (54:05):
It's broadcasting from a completely different point of view yours.
Speaker 3 (54:11):
Listen daily to
Speaker 7 (54:12):
The Corell Cast on your favorite streaming service.
Show Time is here. No time to fear.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Corilla is so near because show time is here.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
So on with the show. Let's give it a go.
Speaker 3 (00:11):
Corilla is the one that you need to know. Now.
Speaker 4 (00:16):
It's show time.
Speaker 5 (00:30):
Today's show is about bravery. Eric Dane, actor diagnosed with ALS.
We got to sit in on a media panel with him,
and you're going to sit in on it too, as
we explore life with.
Speaker 6 (00:42):
Disabilities, uncensored, unfiltered, fun hinged.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
It's the Corall Cast.
Speaker 7 (00:52):
Listen daily on your favorite streaming service.
Speaker 5 (01:00):
It is the Crowd Cast. I Am Correll. Happy Tuesday,
December thirtieth, Just one more day left in this year
by twenty twenty five, Child of good riddance. All right.
A lot of you may not know that both of
my parents were disabled. My mother was four foot nine.
She had an intermediary spike in her leg that replaced
(01:20):
a bone. Think about that. She was bow legged, she walked,
you know, kind of funny. She had child and adult
stage rickets, which is a bone disease vitamin D deficiency.
It happened a lot in the thirties and forties. She
was blind at one point from cataracts in both eyes.
She had two knee replacements at the same time had
(01:44):
to learn how to walk again. My father had alternative colitis,
Crohn's disease, disinhydrate egzema, all kinds of different maladies that
affected him as well, and he was all in electrolyte
imbalances that often put him into the hospital. My father
was often in a wheelchair, with my four foot nine
mother pushing him. I grew up in hospitals, emergency rooms,
(02:07):
and doctor's offices the VA a lot because my dad
was on VA disability. And you know, people were very
cruel in the sixties and seventies and eighties to my
mom and to my dad being disabled. But more importantly,
my mom and dad never saw themselves on television. There
(02:28):
was never anybody in a wheelchair except ironside. You know.
It just people with disabilities of all types. They're just invisible,
you know, we don't really see them. And that is
tragic because I never saw my parents on TV. I
never saw a show where the mom was handicapped or
(02:51):
the dad was disabled, or both were disabled. But both
my parents were disabled. And now technically I have a disability.
I am on disability. My back is so messed up
that I can't maintain the schedule that I used to maintain.
Walking hurts. Just two nights ago, I woke up with
(03:12):
a Charlie horse in my left calf, the one that
keeps twitching. That was so painful. I jumped out of
bed crying and stretched it out and did everything I
could to make it go away. It's happened for decades now,
maybe three or four times a year again because of
my back and so living with a disability. Even now
(03:35):
in today's world, we don't see a lot of people
with disabilities on TV. That's why I love the show
Silent Witness on BritBox. There's there's always someone with a
disability on that show. Death they have a little person
on the show now they I mean, I've seen many
shows nowadays. Have you know a blind person, a deaf person?
(03:55):
But not that many, not like every show, And so
dealing with disabilities is hard enough for the disabled person,
but the population of disabled people never see themselves in
advertising in anything. A lot of you may also know
(04:16):
that I thought I had well. The doctors had to
rule out als because of my twitching leg from the vaccine,
and I went to the als clinic at Cedars in
Los Angeles where actor Eric Dane went and the people
(04:38):
that were there still functioning still, you know, in wheelchairs
or whatever, speaking on phones, even though their voices were shot.
First of all, I was terrified. I think we're all
terrified of ALS. I remember watching a movie in the
seventies about the Lou Griggs disease. It was terrifying. Then
(04:58):
it's the Disease of the Week movie, and it's terrifying now. Well.
Eric Dane, gorgeous, vibrant actor, has ALS. He was diagnosed
in April. However, he just did a guest spot on
the show Brilliant Minds, which is on NBC. I Believe
(05:21):
about a doctor, and I was invited to sit and
watch a panel of the show's creators and Eric Dane
talking about this episode and what it was like for
him to do it and why it's important to get
people with ALS out into the public view so we
(05:41):
can find a cure. Because Eric Danes will probably be
gone within sixteen to eighteen money and that's the tragic.
So the rest of the show is going to be
this panel discussion. I hope you like it. I hope
you learn something from it. And it's got superstars.
Speaker 7 (06:00):
Visiting really kill dot com daily. You're missing out. Get
the podcast videos and the blug including recipes at reallycorrel
dot com. That's really ka r e l dot com.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
Show Time is here. No time to fear.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
Correll is so near because showtime is here.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
So on with the show. Let's give it a go.
Speaker 3 (06:25):
Correll is the one that you need to know.
Speaker 5 (06:29):
Okay, I just want to reiterate before we go, that
it takes so much courage for Eric Dane to do
this panel and to be on that show. This man
was a vibrant, gorgeous actor and now you can tell
what als is doing to him, and he wanted to
show people and here it is.
Speaker 8 (06:48):
Hey, everyone, welcome. I'm Andrea Goodman, CEO of I Am Alas,
and we're grateful to have so many of you joining
us today on this Giving Tuesday, We're honored to celebrate
the extraordinary work behind NBC's critically acclaimed series Brilliant Minds
and the team who brought one of its most powerful
episodes to life. We're thrilled to welcome Brilliant Minds creator,
(07:11):
showrunner and executive producer Michael Grassi and consulting producer and
writer doctor Danielle lamis the creative voices behind an episode
that is rich, layered, deeply human, and speaks directly to
our community. Together and with the help of their writers room,
they've crafted a story that reflects the complexities, courage, and
(07:35):
emotional truth of navigating an ALS diagnosis. We're also joined
by acclaimed actor Eric Dane, whose body of work has
connected with audiences for decades. In this episode, now streaming
on Peacock, Eric delivers a deeply moving, grounded performance as Matthew,
a firefighter confronting an ALS diagnosis. The storyline holds a
(07:59):
personal significance for Eric. He's been incredibly open about his
own journey and has partnered with IMLS to accelerate progress
towards a cure. I'm also honored to introduce Brian Wallack
and Sondra Abrava, co founders of IMALS, whose leadership has
transformed the ALS landscape, including building a national movement, securing
(08:22):
more than one point two billion dollars for ALS research
and treatments, and passing the landmark Law Act for ALS.
They're an inspiration to us all and we're grateful to
have their voices as part of this important dialogue. This
episode is a testament to the power of representation, collaboration,
and truth in storytelling. If you're moved by today's conversation,
(08:46):
we invite you to learn more about our work and
ways you can make an impact by visiting IMALS dot org.
Speaker 9 (08:54):
Welcome everybody.
Speaker 10 (08:56):
It's an incredible clip from an incredible episode. I'm Sandra,
my husband Brian. We're eight years into ALS, so I'll
be translating for Brian as he shares today, but we're
so excited to be here together. And my goodness, are
we so grateful to Eric and Michael and Danielle and
(09:18):
the team at Brilliant Minds for such a phenomenal truth telling, hopeful,
hard hitting, honest, all the things that one would hope
for in a story about an ALS family in this episode.
Speaker 9 (09:36):
So just like incredible.
Speaker 10 (09:37):
Gratitude to start off with for the work that you
all did today. I'm excited to play moderator and ask
questions that we're excited to hear from our producers and
from Eric, and you know, just before we dive in,
I wanted to share that one of my favorite things
(10:00):
about the episode is really about the agency that you
lose as someone diagnosed with ALS and how you find
yourself grappling for ways to still be in control and
have power.
Speaker 9 (10:17):
And the thing you care most about in your life
is your.
Speaker 10 (10:19):
Family, of course, and so Bran and I have on
such a deep level experienced what it's like for someone
with ALS to want to protect your family is the
only thing you feel like you can control. And just
like really brilliantly done in this episode. So in any case, Eric,
(10:44):
you've been already an incredible advocate, and Brian was very
disappointed to miss advocating on Capitol Hill with you in
your most recent visit, but we are coming to your
next visit. So thank you for all your ad I
can see already. Thank you for doing this episode and
are you know sort of let's get into it and
(11:05):
love to hear you share with everybody. You know, how
did you become interested in guest starring on Brilliant Minds,
What made you want to take on this role, and
how did it feel to bring these pieces of your
own lived experience into a scripted character.
Speaker 11 (11:24):
Thanks Sandra. You know, Michael reached out to me and
we got on some calls and had some pretty in
depth conversations, and that helped inform sort of the story
you wanted to tell. The hardest thing for me to
(11:48):
do was to separate myself from the character because it
was something that was so fresh and it was something
that was so real to me. I've never played a
character who's going through something and something I'm dealing with
in real time in real life as well. So it
(12:10):
was hard and there were moments where it was very
difficult for me me even get the lines out. But overall,
I was really grateful for the experience. I found it
to be a big cathartic and Michael and Danielle were
(12:31):
so great and sort of sort of shepherding along this
there's this tired old actor can barely speak and put
me in a position for great success, and I'm grateful
for that for that.
Speaker 10 (12:49):
Well, Michael and Daniella and working with Eric. Maybe Michael first,
can you tell us about that creative process for the
episode and how you and Danielle a partnered in the
writer's room to pen such a beautiful narrative around Eric's character,
And also, you know, did you ask anything of Eric
(13:10):
in terms of his performance before the shooting began.
Speaker 12 (13:14):
Well, thank you, Sandra and nice nice to meet you,
Brian and Eric, thank you for saying all of that.
Speaker 3 (13:21):
Well.
Speaker 12 (13:22):
I think this episode would not have been possible without
Eric and his generosity and his collaboration. And from our
very first conversation together, I think we knew we wanted
to tell a grounded story, something that would be relatable
to a lot of people. How does a family navigate
(13:45):
a difficult diagnosis is one thing, and then the other
thing in our conversations that became apparent is we wanted
to create a character, in this case, a firefighter who
dedicated his life to helping others.
Speaker 5 (13:59):
That's who he is, That's who who.
Speaker 12 (14:01):
At his core, you know, he's always given, and I
think for many people it's very difficult to accept help.
So these two big pieces of navigating a diagnosis for
for the person who's dealing with it, but also for
the entire family, and also accepting help are the two
things that we were sort of circling in terms of
(14:23):
anchoring our story for this episode and in terms of
the conversations with Eric. Eric, I feel like from the
very beginning we sort of the lines of communication had
to be very open as we sort of entered this
process together, and I think it was just very important
for us to meet Eric where he was and and
(14:44):
and and Eric showed up every single day and and
and he blew us away. And he was incredible and
was so committed to this character and this story, and
it was incredible. And I'm very grateful to him. And
it was an incredible process.
Speaker 10 (15:02):
Michael, Sorry, Daniella would love to hear you share as
well on that front.
Speaker 13 (15:09):
Sure, well, I was just thinking, I guess as as
we were talking that you know, I've watched medical TV forever.
I mean, how I first know Eric Dane and uh,
there are zebra diagnoses that you see on like every
medical TV show, like over and over and over again.
You don't you don't really see als, right and uh
(15:32):
and uh and I had worked on other medical show previously.
Speaker 9 (15:35):
It pitched sort of various.
Speaker 14 (15:36):
Als is always it's always nicks, right because uh, it's
nixed because there isn't the TV win uh where oh
it was a misdiagnosis or oh we we found a cure.
But I think, you know, I think working uh in
the writer's room and working uh and and talking to
Eric and hearing some of the things sort of he
was telling us about his own journeys so far are.
(16:01):
It gave us a way to tell a story that
has a different kind of win and and I think
being able to put that on TV and and to
work with somebody who is really dealing with these exact issues, uh,
you know, gave it, gave it that sort of unique
power that that made it a story that works for
(16:21):
television while also being true.
Speaker 13 (16:24):
And and I think, uh yeah.
Speaker 10 (16:29):
I just will interject that I thought that one of
the TV wins that you did get out of it
is that you told a story about how well there
isn't a cure today. There are right, the doctor says,
thousands of people working on this. There's so much accelerated
research and in the meantime, we want to support you
(16:49):
this character to be as comfortable as possible.
Speaker 9 (16:52):
But also you know, you are.
Speaker 10 (16:54):
Responsive to the daughters ask right to you know, enrolling
clinical trials to get.
Speaker 9 (16:59):
Access to cutting edge treatment.
Speaker 10 (17:01):
So anyway, I just wanted to share that, you know,
I don't know anything about TV writing, but I felt,
as a consumer of the information the win from it.
Speaker 9 (17:11):
So thank you both for that.
Speaker 11 (17:13):
Well.
Speaker 10 (17:13):
Eric, curious for you to share, maybe even beyond the
diagnosis of the character that you have in common. Were
there other characteristics of the character you play.
Speaker 9 (17:25):
That you felt are similar to your own.
Speaker 10 (17:27):
Character or personality and maybe kind of continue from that.
Has this informed the kind of characters you want to
play moving forward, or have you had put any thought
to that.
Speaker 11 (17:41):
Yeah, I found a lot similarities between Alien. It's an
obvious damon to make, but a lot of similarities, and
some of the things that Michael and I to talk
about actually ended up in the story. I you know,
(18:01):
I'm fairly limited in what I can do physically as
an actor, but I still have my brain and I
still have my speech, you know. So I'm I'm willing
to do just about anything. I'll take on any role,
but I think from here on out, it's gonna have
(18:23):
to me, you know, als centric. There's gonna be me
very difficult for me to play any other role where
you know, you know, look at the inner bou gerol
in the room, and I'm I'm fine with that. I'm
(18:45):
fine with that as long I'm grateful that I can
still work in any capacity. But yeah, I did find
a lot of similarities between this guy, you know who.
It's funny it was one day On said I was
I was in rehearsalon. I was chewing gum and the
directors said, you have to chew gum in this, you
(19:09):
have to chew gum. And this we're gonna pick a
couple of scenes where's chewing gum. And I've never chewed
gum on screen before in front of a camera, but
it felt that it felt like me and I'm gonna
take that with me from here around. Like when the
keep chewing gum, it.
Speaker 9 (19:30):
Feels like a good off label. You guys like to
keep the muscles like going.
Speaker 11 (19:35):
It's really it came to Kani in the moment. You're
you know you have an activity that you're doing that
you know you even can even keep you sustain.
Speaker 5 (19:48):
All right, we'll be right back with more of this
press conference with Eric Dane and wow, already right, I mean,
just the courage. I don't know that I could do it.
I I don't know that I could go in public anymore.
Speaker 15 (20:05):
Wow, We'll be right back now. Is show.
Speaker 5 (20:37):
Eric Dane has appeared in hundreds of episodes of television
and over twenty films. He was known as a sex symbol,
a big hunk, and then he got als. Now his
life and the roles have changed, but he is still
out there trying to make a difference. More of our conversation,
not our conversation, but more of the conversation with Eric,
(20:58):
Dane and I am ALS.
Speaker 9 (21:03):
Well. Brian don't ask to choose them, but Eric before
the two of us, Michael and Danielle.
Speaker 10 (21:17):
I'm curious, like, as you thought both about what this
episode would mean to Eric and then also the broader
ALS community. Were there certain issues you grappled with, certain
things you really wanted to get right as you wrote it.
Speaker 12 (21:32):
I think one of the biggest things, and we talked
about this in the room quite a bit. We two
of our writers have family members who lived with ALS,
so it was personal in the room. And one of
the things that we talked about is that we didn't
want to sensationalize this. We didn't want to We've seen
(21:59):
some medicals where people come in and they have a
diagnosis and then there's a magical fix at the end,
or there's a magical cure, and that wasn't the story
that we were telling with this episode, and it was
important for us to not only raise awareness, but do
it in a way that didn't feel sensationalized and felt
(22:19):
like it was a story that people can find themselves in,
and that was really the biggest priority is that people
could watch this and if it could reach out to
someone and make them feel like they weren't alone and
make them feel like I could see myself in this,
or I can see my family in this. I think
that those were the things that we really wanted to hit.
Speaker 11 (22:43):
Yeah, it was really uncanny how much you got this
right A lot. I was every scene I was in,
I was like, this is so, this is so you know,
sharp and intelligent. What a wonderful observation. You know it's horrible,
but what a great inertation of it. I think it
(23:09):
was a good remusentation.
Speaker 10 (23:11):
Yeah, Brian, the moment where Eric your characters like, no,
I'm doing the breathing test again, I can do better.
Speaker 9 (23:21):
Oh my god. The number of times where it's like
I've done that. It is what it is, babe, Like Yeah.
Speaker 12 (23:29):
And my favorite part of shooting that scene was Eric
ad libbed something hilarious and amazing at the end of
that scene every single time, And what made into the
cut was letter rip for her second one for the
second breathings. As much I love, but he had sharp
he was making everyone laugh on set, especially Ari Kreps,
who plays Dana, is a huge Gray Anatomy fan, so
(23:50):
when she learned she'd be sharing the screen with Eric Dane,
it was truly a dream come true moment for her
and many And.
Speaker 10 (23:58):
Well, Danielle, you've written about als and the New York
Times and uh, you know, you're very familiar with the
disease and curious what from your perspective you really wanted
to get right as well.
Speaker 13 (24:11):
Yeah, I mean, we wanted to get all of it right.
But but uh, you.
Speaker 9 (24:17):
Know, I think I think, I mean, as everyone was.
Speaker 13 (24:19):
Saying, sort of the human experience of something without toes
Michael's word, sensationalizing it. You know, I think sort of
working in the ICU is you know, when I work
in the hospital, and like we see people sort of
facing a lot of inflection points, some that are huge
and some that might appear to the outside world to
be smaller. What is it really a machine strapped to
the face?
Speaker 10 (24:39):
Uh?
Speaker 13 (24:39):
And I you know, but but like but like these
these moments, these moments that that that that that changed
sort of the nature of somebody's life, and like how
people navigate that stuff.
Speaker 14 (24:53):
I think it's fascinating.
Speaker 9 (24:54):
And I think I think really.
Speaker 13 (24:57):
Showing uh the extent, which like like like I'm always
amazing in the hospital, people are fucking amazing, Like you
guys are amazing, Like Britt, You're you're amazing, Like Soundra,
You're amazing, Like I mean, Eric, like you're you're you're awesome,
and like people are people who Yeah, I mean you
said this to us.
Speaker 9 (25:15):
And one of these calls, Eric, you didn't say I'm amazing.
Speaker 13 (25:18):
You said like you said, you know that like you've
dealt with this with like like a plumb that you
like didn't expect. You know, You're like, I'm a whiner,
but like I'm not really whining.
Speaker 4 (25:27):
I think with something like that you said.
Speaker 11 (25:28):
Right, that's true.
Speaker 5 (25:30):
Hopefully I'm not al to you.
Speaker 9 (25:32):
That'd be an awkward one.
Speaker 13 (25:33):
But but you know, but showing like the ex yeah,
like like people have a lot of people, not everyone.
People need support to have resilience, like you, it's hard
to have resilience alone in a vacuum. But but but
when when when when sort of called to the task,
people can be awesome. And I feel like our show
(25:53):
really tries to tell that story often, and and and
I think, you know, we want I wanted to show
with this. You know, it wasn't it's a really bad diagnosis.
We didn't want to tell a dismal story. And and
and I think, you know, I think that's that's what
we tried to get across. That people are funny, people
have grit, people are awesome.
Speaker 7 (26:13):
It's broadcasting from a completely different point of view yours.
Listen daily to the Corell Cast on your favorite streaming service.
Speaker 1 (26:29):
Show Time is here. No time to fear.
Speaker 2 (26:32):
Corilla is so near because showtime is here.
Speaker 1 (26:36):
So on with the show. Let's give it a go.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
Carrilla is the one that you need to know.
Speaker 7 (26:44):
Now.
Speaker 16 (26:45):
It's show side, inspiring, heartbreaking, so many things.
Speaker 5 (27:02):
Today's show is I Am Als. It's the name of
the show that we're watching. It has Eric Dane on it,
the actor, and he's talking about his adventures.
Speaker 6 (27:12):
With Als, uncensored, unfiltered, un hinged.
Speaker 1 (27:19):
He's the Koel Cast.
Speaker 7 (27:21):
Listen daily on your favorite streaming service.
Speaker 5 (27:28):
You know, I hope you're enjoying this. I really am.
It is the Crowcast. This is part two to go
from Eric Dane beautiful, big, huge movie star, gorgeous guy
to the guy in the wheelchair within just a matter
of months, and to still act this takes courage. I
want to hear more. So let's hear more.
Speaker 10 (27:48):
Daniella, still practicing as a doctor and probably really having
a still weekly view of how families navigate these diagnoses.
What was something that you really wanted to make sure
to elevate in terms of how families connect around news
(28:10):
like this, how they carry it either alone or willing
to share the burden. Just curious for any of your
thoughts on that front about families.
Speaker 13 (28:21):
Yeah, I think, you know, we tried to show sort
of a range of reactions without that would be demonstrated
without judgment, like and so uh, you know the fact
that there there isn't uh, there isn't a right or
wrong way, and maybe somebody's initial sort of I'll do
(28:41):
this thing like like you know, it might not it
might not be realistic ultimately, and like you know, I
think I think trying to uh and I think, yeah,
I think I think trying to tell a story that
that that built in the fact that like we weren't
going to leave this family with this idea that like
(29:04):
they would like do it alone, and like telling a
story about something that like that like ultimately isn't really possible,
I think was a few of ours, and so I
think I think bringing in a larger community was was
really helpful. And I think, you know, there's so much
right like and we don't tell it all in the
span of one episode, but but really showing how like
(29:26):
the entire history of one's relationship like comes to bear
like in these moments, I think was also something that
we kind of wanted to wanted to be able to
get into a little bit.
Speaker 10 (29:37):
Yeah, the scene with the ex's wife with the psychiatrist
was so compelling to really beautifully done. Okay, Michael, if
you feel willing to spill the beans just a little bit,
can you tell us where Eric scripted parts that weren't originally.
Speaker 12 (29:56):
Scripted, Well, listen, they're definitely was some ad lib in there,
and every time he did it, it was pure gold
and whatever whatever was there definitely be on screen because
Eric's so funny and so fun and a lot of
the magic also happened when we called cut and just
getting to chat with Eric and and Eric connecting with
our cast and our crew was some of the best moments.
(30:18):
Getting to collaborate with him and I'm just very grateful
for our time together on set in Toronto.
Speaker 11 (30:24):
He was, He's amazing.
Speaker 3 (30:26):
Eric's amazing.
Speaker 11 (30:28):
Thank you, Michael. I feel the same way about you.
I had such a great time working on this show.
It is a very very tight group up there in Toronto,
and you know, it's very it's not easy to get
a crew together actors and crew members and producers, writers
(30:52):
and directors and are all seemingly on the same page,
committed to a singular focus, which is to put the
best probably they can on the screen and and and
tell a great story. And that's what everybody was focused on.
(31:13):
I saw that right away, and it was a nice
it made it made me feel welcome and and kind
of comforted, and it was a familiar feeling to me.
There was a feeling of familiarity out there, and so
I had I had a wonderful time. My Michael, Well,
(31:34):
thank you for seeing all that.
Speaker 12 (31:35):
Eric, and we really it was important for all of
us to step up and make Eric proud and make
sure he felt welcome. But Eric showed up every day
and stepped up and and he was amazing and sort
of like everyone really wanted to make this special and
the work is all on screen and in the story
(31:57):
and the storytelling it and Eric's performance, so so I'm
very grateful, very very grateful.
Speaker 5 (32:03):
You know, Eric Dane is still handsome. I have to
tell you, I'd still go Wow, he's hot. And here
he is talking about the challenges of acting with ALS.
I hope you're enjoying it. We'll finish up when we
come back with this particular interview. And I just I'm
gob back at the courage of all of you, everybody
(32:25):
that we're watching and living with this.
Speaker 7 (32:28):
If you're not visiting really corell dot com daily, you're
missing out. Get the podcast videos and the blug including
recipes at reallycorrel dot com. That's really k A R
e l dot com.
Speaker 2 (32:42):
Show Time is here. No time to fear. Correll is
so near because show time is here. So on with
the show. Let's give it a go.
Speaker 3 (32:53):
Correll is the one.
Speaker 5 (32:55):
That you need to know, all right. It is the crowdcast.
And on this next to the last day of the year,
we are watching a press conference about Eric Dane being
on the show Brilliant Minds, but more importantly about living
with ALS. None of us can imagine what it would
be like to get that diagnosis. I for a month
(33:16):
or two months while I was waiting to go, I
was terrified everything was a symptom. I was starting to
think about dying within two years and what about Ember?
And it was just horrific to even live in the
shadow of it, but to be him and then to
continue acting, I just can't. So let's watch the final
(33:37):
part of this I am als and then we'll come
back to regular topics.
Speaker 10 (33:43):
Well, I think that gratitude was expressed through this standing
ovation that there was some news of looked like an
incredible moment. Eric, and you know, we would have like
been right there a longside everybody. It's remarkable the way
(34:03):
you are leveraging your superpower to do something around communicating
about this disease that no one else has had an
opportunity to have. You're You're literally doing something no one
has ever done before with this.
Speaker 11 (34:18):
I'm not about to conceive my impermanits for some disease
it is not capable of doing that.
Speaker 10 (34:28):
Well, Brian and I I'm very grateful to have you
on this journey with us. I know Brian also wanted
to share how he felt about the episode, and for Brian,
he communicates now with I Gays and it takes a while,
(34:49):
so I just want to take a moment, if you
guys will all bear with me, to sort of pull
up what Brian took some time to hammer out on
I Gays. So I shared with Brian, you know, we
wanted to hear from him about from the perspective of
someone who's transformed a lot of the legislation and federal
(35:10):
funding and the medical community work around this disease.
Speaker 9 (35:15):
What impact do you hope this.
Speaker 10 (35:16):
Episode has on those broader conversations? And Brian with I
Gaze typed the following that I'll read, which is first
before I answer. I want to say a huge thank
you to everyone who was involved in this episode of
Brilliant Minds. Eric's performance is raw and powerful and beautiful,
(35:38):
and I'd also like to thank all the caregivers out
there who are endlessly supporting people living with ALS. My
hope is that this episode brings awareness to millions of
people who may or may not know about what ALS
brings onto families and the individuals diagnosed. It doesn't discriminate,
It can affect anyone matter your race, or age or sex,
(36:02):
and I hope this episode brings awareness that ALS isn't
just a medical condition, but a policy and research and
human issue, and Sondra, myself and the entire im ALS
community have worked for years to show that the system
isn't permanently broken, that there's hope, and that when ALS
(36:24):
is shown clearly with compassion, as you all have done
in this episode, it becomes harder for leaders in healthcare
and policy to ignore it and easier for us to
demand action.
Speaker 9 (36:36):
So Brian wanted to say thank you for that. Thank you, Brian,
Michael and Daniella.
Speaker 10 (36:49):
You cover some tough topics, including ALS, and you sort
of talked about the win.
Speaker 9 (36:57):
How do you know? Sort of how do you think?
Speaker 10 (37:00):
I shared a bit about how I think you won,
but curious how you all as a writer's room felt
like you were able to win and deliver the message
about this disease. That exactly to your point. I mean,
are you all truly the first to have depicted it?
I mean, I have no recollection of it being depicted
on a medical show before.
Speaker 12 (37:21):
CenTra. I can't speak to that stat I don't I
don't know these it's the first first, let's say the first.
Let's say it's the first. No, I let's yeah, let's
say that. I think the biggest thing that I feel
like we accomplished altogether was the fact that there are
(37:46):
characters with agency on screen. Eric's character Matthew who has agency,
and all of these family members who want to help,
and everyone is involved, and they're having conversations about something
that is really important and really difficult conversations to have.
They are not easy topics. And having these incredible actors
(38:11):
to pick these characters, which I think families everywhere around
the world can see themselves in, I think is the
biggest accomplishment. This show is inspired by a doctor. His
name is Oliver Sacks, and Oliver Sacks is a man
who dedicated his life to writing about conditions that were
(38:33):
often lesser known or very scary to talk about. He
dedicateds like to destigmatizing mental health and mental illness. So
when we started making Brilliant Minds, that's what we want
to do with every single one of our episodes, and
this episode in particular is an example of that and
carrying that torch forward and that if we're talking about
(38:56):
something it's helping to destigmatize it, it's also helping to
raise awareness. So so so I think that's the biggest win.
I would I would share about this, but Daniella probably
has a more eloquent answer.
Speaker 9 (39:07):
Oh, I was gonna say that was good.
Speaker 4 (39:09):
Now I agree, you know.
Speaker 13 (39:11):
I think look, I think there's like there's a drive
in TV shows to have these you know, big escalations
and alarms blaring and stuff like that. And I think
being able to tell a story that that didn't sort
of artificially import that, to tell a story about a
person making decisions and connecting reconnecting with with people that
(39:31):
that he loves, I think, I think is is a win.
Speaker 10 (39:36):
So yeah, I think, well, everyone at I am a
LUs is very grateful for this work that you all
have done.
Speaker 3 (39:47):
Eric.
Speaker 10 (39:48):
Our last question is for you. You know, you said
you're not letting go of your purpose, which we love.
We feel the same way. We're tripling down on our
purpose and we're excited to triple down with you. Maybe
if you could share why, why and how you process
(40:09):
this sort of new journey and sort of self imposed
responsibility right to use your superpower for this good. How
do you think about that? You know, what do you
hope people understand about this journey? And how do you
want to drive impact.
Speaker 11 (40:29):
Well. The first thing is, like I was telling Danielle,
I have no reason to me in a good spirit
at any time on any given day. I don't think
anybody would blame me if I went upstairs in my
bedroom crawling under the sheets. And it's been the next
(40:49):
two weeks crying, and I was. I was a little
bit pleasantly surprised to realize that I wasn't building that
because I love are sure that was gonna be me.
You know, any time I got to don't worry about
a diagnosis like this, I'm for sure I was gonna
(41:10):
be the the ladder. I turned out to be the former,
which which is very encouraging. It's encouraging for me to
know that I actually can have like a buoyant spirit
in the face of something so horrible. This experience was
(41:32):
was was one of a kind. I don't I don't
know that I ever do it again for anybody else,
you know, I I think it's it's it's it's imperative
that I share my journey with as many people as
(41:56):
I can, because I don't feel like my life life
is about me anymore. And it's something I've had to
wrestle with because I'm a pretty selfish person, and I
would love my life to be all about me, but
I just I just can't. I don't think I can.
(42:20):
I don't think i'd be able to move forward if
that were the case. That's helping. It's been very propulsive.
It's been a propulsive sort of component to my existence.
You know. Obviously I have a family at home and
they're the first priority, but this is such a big
deal to me, you know, to make sure that people
(42:43):
are aware of what's what als is and what it's about,
and more importantly, what we can do to combat it
and improve the landscape because it's so it's so rocky
and littered with hurdles and bureaucracy and all this other
(43:03):
nonsense that we're trying to sift there so we can
get to a place where we go start working on solutions.
And I think Brian and Sona are doing a great job,
and that's why I parted it up with them, so,
you know, and in clothing, this whole thing was just
(43:24):
such a such a wonderful experience, you know, and the
thing that we're doing today is such a I think
it's so fantastic that we can get this out to
people let them know that well, this is what it
looks like.
Speaker 10 (43:42):
Okay, I lied before trying to get over to and
I just want to say that that right there, that
there is hope, that there are treatments on the horizon,
and that if this episode and you know sort of
what Eric is doing inspires you to take action, that's
that's a amazing That's the only way we're going to
(44:02):
drive forward towards you know, the treatments and the cure
that we think is right around the corner.
Speaker 8 (44:10):
So thank you you're here. Wow, what an incredibly powerful discussion.
Thank you everybody to NBC, Warner Brothers Television, and Berlanzi
Productions for your support. To Eric and Michael and Daniella,
your openness, artistry and commitment to raising awareness about als
(44:32):
is making such a real difference to our community. We
hope you continue to champion stories and communities like ours
who deserve to be seen and heard. And if you're
listening and you miss this incredible episode of Brilliant Minds,
you can stream it on Peacock. New episodes air Mondays
on NBC. To Brian and Sondra, We're all so proud
(44:54):
of the movement. You built that is I am ALS.
Thank you for creating a community defined by ridge connection
and an unwavering belief in what's possible. As you've heard today,
ALS is not just a storyline. It's a lived reality
for thousands of individuals and families, and we invite you
to learn more and join the movement by visiting imails
(45:16):
dot org. Thank you all for spending this time with us.
Your support genuinely makes a difference. Thank you all.
Speaker 5 (45:25):
Wow. Wow, First of all, I saw that episode. It
is so moving. You know, aren't imitating life or life
imitating art? Ken We'll finish up right after this. Don't
go anywhere. Wow, this is a big wow.
Speaker 11 (45:44):
All right.
Speaker 4 (46:05):
Now it's show side.
Speaker 5 (46:20):
Alrighty. You know I took a chance playing that. Some
of you probably aren't here. You tuned out, you went away, whatever,
But a few of you stayed and a few of
you got inspired and maybe gave At the bottom. There
was a way to donate.
Speaker 8 (46:41):
You know.
Speaker 5 (46:43):
When I watched that the first time while editing it
for the show, you know, I thought to myself, what
would you do? You know, I worry so much about
my health. I do, as you all know, I have
medical anxiety, but I act like if something were to happen, cancer,
als ms, whatever, that life would just stop. And it doesn't.
(47:07):
It doesn't stop until you stop breathing. And I know
that I would still try to be me, you know,
up until you know. I'd make it all a show.
I'd i'd take you with me to chemotherapy, or I'd
show you what they were doing to me and the
you know whatever. I'd let let them operate on me.
I'd bring you to the O R. You know, I
(47:30):
as long as I could speak, and then even if
I couldn't. If I couldn't speak, I'd probably write, but
I would I would keep communicating. Eric Dane's an actor
and he wants to die an actor, uh and make
more money for his family, obviously, and to see that
(47:51):
kind of bravery. We don't see bravery like that every
disabled person that gets up and goes out into the world. No,
they're going to be judged. You know, they're good. I
saw Eric Day in there and thought he's hot. I'd
still sleep with him, you know, but knowing that they're
going to be judged not by who they are, but
(48:13):
first by what you see. And as wonderful as all
of you are, you know that's still a thing. When
you see a handicapped person, the first thing you do
is notice the difference, not the sameness. And what we
always forget is it's their body that's handicapped. Their brain,
(48:35):
their mind, their spirit, their soul is still in there
wanting everything yours does. People in wheelchairs and this I
don't want to say trans people have a handicap, but
it goes the same for trans people. They have a
medical condition, and in order to be themselves, they have
(48:58):
to go out and be judged every fucking single day
by trump, by you, by their bosses, by everybody. My
mom is the reason I am the way that I am.
My mother, Rose Marie Tromblay Boulat is the reason I
can say fuck anything, fuck it all, you know, because
(49:19):
I watched her get laughed at. I watched her not
be able to do things that other moms could do,
but still try to do those things. I've carried my mother,
I've changed my mother's diaper, I've you know, I've done
so many things over my lifetime with my mom because
(49:40):
of her disabilities, and then later of course when she
was in the nursing home and everywhere we went, especially
when I got bigger. You know, here, I'm five ten,
mom's four nine, you know, and people are always like
that came out of you. You know, they didn't believe
we were mother and son because somehow a four foot
(50:03):
nine woman just couldn't possibly have, you know, an able
bodied young man. It's it's a world that is unforgiving
and the courage that it takes to be different. And
that's what a disability really is about. I mean, they're
(50:26):
not totally disabled, even quadriplegics. Look at Stephen Hawkings, you know,
but you're different. You're not the same. And I know
a lot about that about being different, and it takes
so much courage when you are different. You know, everyone
calls me courageous. I see Eric Dane and I think
(50:48):
that's courageous. I'm not courageous. I'm just being correl, you
know him, that's courageous. So I hope on December thirtieth,
if you watched it, I hope that this inspired you,
that it educated you, that it will make you a
(51:10):
little more. How I say this, I know you're all
decent people.
Speaker 8 (51:15):
But.
Speaker 5 (51:17):
Maybe you'll go out of your way to talk to
people who are disabled, to help to volunteer or to
just treat them normally. You know, the last thing a
disabled person wants is to be treated differently. That's what
(51:37):
the last thing a trans person wants, the last thing
a gay person wants, the last thing that any different
person wants is to be treated differently. And we don't
set up the world for different people, particularly handicapped. You know,
(51:57):
our country is pre good nowhere near where it needs
to be. Other countries it's a crab shoot. I mean,
I can't imagine being in a wheelchair in London or
other places where the city just isn't built for that.
So being different, no matter what it is, meeting challenges
(52:23):
and still getting up and going outside and facing the day,
still going to your job, now that's courageous. So I
hope that this episode gives you some courage if you're different,
if you're handicapped, if you're facing an illness. He knows
he's going to die, and he knows he's going to
(52:46):
die within the next year, year and a half. He
knows that the only person to live with als beyond
three to five years, Stephen Hawkins. He had a slow
moving progression, and there are very few three percent of
people with als are somewhere around there have one that
progresses slowly. Everyone else twenty four months from diagnosis, and
(53:11):
it usually takes a year just to get a diagnosis.
We need to cure this, We need AI to help.
We need to cure this and so many other diseases
that affect people and just devastate their lives, neurological diseases.
And look at Michael J. Fox. There's another example of courage,
(53:33):
Michael J. Fox. So draw inspiration from them and maybe
realize your problems aren't quite so bad.
Speaker 1 (53:45):
I am COREL.
Speaker 5 (53:46):
Tomorrow's New Year's Eve, I will be here with a
year end show, so please tune in for that. Be
who you want to be into unless it be who
you want to be, so long as it doesn't hurt.
Anybody probably said that five bouts time. I don't know
a lot, and we'll see tomorrow much club.
Speaker 7 (54:05):
It's broadcasting from a completely different point of view yours.
Speaker 3 (54:11):
Listen daily to
Speaker 7 (54:12):
The Corell Cast on your favorite streaming service.
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