“It wasn’t something I ever really wanted to do, it was something I felt like I had to do,” he told Washington Post. “It was getting increasingly difficult to hide what was going on. And instead of letting people speculate what was happening, I just said it. … And I’ve never experienced a bigger outpouring of love and support than I have after I announced that.”

Dane is now on a mission to raise awareness of ALS, advocating for the renewal of the ACT for ALS, legislation designed to support essential research on ALS and related neurodegenerative conditions.