Dane was notably absent for a planned 20th anniversary tribute for “Grey’s Anatomy” at the 2025 Emmys earlier this month.

Eric Dane wants it known that he doesn’t plan to stop fighting as his ALS progresses.

The star, 52, made his first appearance since missing the Emmys earlier this month and vowed not to give up the fight against the debilitating disease.

“I wanna ring every bell,” Dane told California Congressman Eric Swalwell in a TikTok video shared by the politician on Monday from their meeting in Washington, D.C. “I have two daughters at home. I wanna see them graduate college, get married, maybe have grandkids.”

“I wanna be there for all that. So, I’m gonna fight until the last breath on this one,” the Grey’s Anatomy alum added.

ALS — or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis — is a progressive nervous system disease that affects cells in the brain and spinal cord, causing loss of muscle control. Over time, it impairs patients’ ability to breathe, speak, and move, leading to full paralysis, according to the Mayo Clinic. It is 100 percent fatal, and there is no cure.

Dane revealed his ALS diagnosis in April and has since dedicated himself to the cause of finding federal funding for research on the incurable neurological disease.

The star has been married to actress and model Rebecca Gayheart since 2004, and the pair share daughters Billie Beatrice, 15, and Georgia Geraldine, 13.

Dane was joined by doctors and representatives from the I Am ALS organization for his chat with Swalwell about investing in innovative treatments to ensure access to quality care for those diagnosed with ALS, as well as their families and researchers.

The actor is partnering with the organization I Am ALS for Push for Progress, a fundraising initiative that hopes to raise $1 billion for ALS research in three years to help give “promising treatments to thousands of patients like me, and finally, finally, push towards ending this disease,” Dane said in a video on social media calling for further ALS research. “There’s so much more to learn, more to do, and we have to do it now.”

“ALS is the last thing they want to diagnose anybody with,” the Euphoria star noted. “It so often takes all this time for these people to be diagnosed. Well, then it precludes them from being part of these clinical trials. That’s why Act for ALS is so great, because it broadens the access for everybody.”

Dane’s presence was missed during the Emmys on Sept. 14 when he was scheduled to appear with fellow presenter Jesse Williams for a segment celebrating 20 years of Shonda Rhimes‘ long-running medical drama. Fans commented on the TikTok video, sharing that they were happy to see the star’s spirits were still in fighting shape.

“Oh be still my heart💔 Eric Dane we see you and we hear you,” one user commented. Another wrote, “He is working SO hard to fight, help, and bring change!”

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Gayheart recently shared that the pair’s daughters are “taking it day by day” as their father’s condition progresses.

“We have some professional therapists who are helping us, and we’re just trying to have some hope and do it with dignity, grace, and love,” the Jawbreaker actress told PEOPLE at Step Up’s 2025 Inspiration Awards.

“I mean, it’s heartbreaking,” she added. “My girls are really suffering, and we’re just trying to get through it. It’s a tough time.”

Eric Dane says he’ll fight ALS ‘to the last breath’, advocates in DC for further research and assistance

Eric Dane is out there fighting for others after being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in April.

The “Euphoria” star traveled to Washington, DC, this week before the government shutdown with the nonprofit I AM ALS, to advocate for further research and assistance in neurodegenerative diseases

The Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act was passed in 2021. It provided five years of funding for research and also allowed early access to treatments for ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. The legislation will expire in 2026.

Dane met with US House of Representatives member Eric Swalwell of California, where he said the specifics of ALS make it “the last thing they want to diagnose anybody with.”

“So often, it takes all this time for these people to be diagnosed. Well, then it precludes them from being a part of these clinical trials,” the actor, who also starred on “Grey’s Anatomy,” said. “That’s why ACT for ALS is so, so great, and it’s because it broadens the access for everybody.”

Expanded access to drugs — allowing patients access to medications before they have been vetted to the highest regulatory standards — became mainstream during the HIV epidemic, as health activists pressed the FDA and other bodies for streamlined and expedited access.

Dane also talked about his hope for the future.

“I have two daughters at home. I want to see them, you know, graduate college, and get married and maybe have grandkids,” Dane said. “You know, I want to be there for all that. So I’m going to fight to the last breath on this one.”

He has been married to actress Rebecca Gayheart since 2004 and they share daughters: Billie, born in 2010, and Georgia, born in 2011.