4 months ago
A acquainted look to fans of Grey’s Anatomy, Steven W. Bailey is opening up astir a five-year struggle pinch his ain health.
On Friday, nan character known for playing bartender Joe connected nan long-running ABC aesculapian play revealed his test of Congenital Myasthenia Syndrome (CMS), a neuromuscular upset that has resulted successful a increasing reliance connected a wheelchair.
“I would for illustration to stock thing important pinch you astir my life and my career,” he wrote successful portion successful an X thread. “I’ve spent years being cautious, private, and quiet astir thing that has been shaping my life and my work. That clip is over.”
Bailey added, “Out of profession caution, diagnostic uncertainty, and being backstage astir specified things successful general, I person been hiding my conflict pinch this illness for complete 5 years. Time to stop.
“CMS is simply a familial illness that disrupts nan connection betwixt nan encephalon and nan musculus astatine nan ‘nerve/muscle junction’… aliases immoderate doctors telephone it,” he continued. “There are billions of these junction dodads successful a body, and an expanding number of excavation look to beryllium connected nan blink. Troublesome, small buggers- right? The constituent is: my muscles aren’t intelligibly receiving each my brain’s orders to do each nan swell things muscles are meant to do. It’s a drag.”
You whitethorn cognize maine from Grey’s Anatomy arsenic Joe nan bartender — aliases from appearances connected Modern Family, You, Chicago Fire, aliases immoderate different appearance.
I would for illustration to stock thing important pinch you astir my life and my career.
🧵👇
The Scandal character explained that nan information makes his limbs “tire quicker than they should, which makes them weaker than, well… anticipated,” resulting successful “issues pinch walking.”
“I americium fortunate that I americium presently still capable to locomotion nan canine astir nan block, navigate my home, popular into nan shop for a speedy fewer items, and nan for illustration connected my feet,” wrote Bailey. “But nan truth is, arsenic my illness progresses, I person been utilizing a powered wheelchair much and much to get around.”
Referring to himself arsenic an “ambulatory wheelchair user,” he explained, “I ambulate some, past I sit, I ‘wheelchair’ about, ambulate, sit, and then, you know, ambulate.”
“Professionally, this is changing maine arsenic an actor. Much for illustration stepping my canine astir nan block, aliases helping astatine nan store, I tin still execute connected my feet, limitedly. I tin ambulate my measurement done elemental “walks and talks” pinch nary problem. I tin still emergence to my feet to entity to nan judge, derail a municipality meeting, aliases outcry astatine a bull for being a loose cannon. But, practically speaking, moving forward, it’s clip for my work, for illustration successful my life, to commencement skewing much wheelchair, if you will. Passed that time, really.”
Bailey added, “I americium hopeful that location is still room for maine successful this manufacture that I love. I look guardant to performing arsenic characters who unrecorded their lives pinch a chair, creating a much typical world successful movie and television. … Same guy. Same actor. Same artist. Now pinch wheels.”
