Gray’s Anatomy‘s Steven W. Bailey is opening up about his uncommon well being analysis.
Bailey — who performed Joe, proprietor of the eponymous bar the Gray Sloan physicians frequent from 2005 to 2010 — revealed he has a situation referred to as Congenital Myasthenia Syndrome (CMS) through a thread posted on Friday, Jan. 2 to X.
“Out of profession warning, diagnostic uncertainty, and being personal about such issues on the whole, I’ve been hiding my battle with this illness for over 5 years. Time to cease,” Bailey wrote. “CMS is a genetic illness that disrupts the communication between the mind and the muscle on the ‘nerve/muscle junction’… or no matter docs name it.”
“There are billions of those junction dodads in a physique, and an growing variety of mine appear to be on the blink. Troublesome, little buggers- proper?” the actor continued. “The purpose is: my muscle tissues aren’t clearly receiving all my mind’s orders to do all of the swell issues muscle tissues are supposed to do. It’s a drag.”
“The end result being that my palms, legs and arms tire faster than they need to, which makes them weaker than, nicely… anticipated,” he added. “Sustained repetitive actions are notably tough and may trigger my muscle tissues to briefly tighten and shut down.”
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Bailey famous that he can nonetheless stroll, nonetheless, he’s an ambulatory wheelchair consumer — or somebody with a incapacity or continual sickness who is ready to stroll, however generally makes use of a wheelchair for mobility, vitality conservation, or security causes.
He then defined that whereas he can nonetheless carry out, with limitations, as an actor, his roles will possible lean in the direction of characters who use wheelchairs going ahead.
“Virtually talking, transferring ahead, it’s time for my work, like in my life, to start out skewing extra wheelchair, if you’ll,” Bailey stated. “However now I’m right here — completed hiding — with a transparent understanding of my illness, wheels firmly beneath me, prepared for the subsequent chapter in my life and profession.”
“I’m hopeful that there’s nonetheless room for me on this trade that I like. I sit up for performing as characters who reside their lives with a chair, making a extra consultant world in movie and tv,” he concluded. “Identical man. Identical actor. Identical artist. Now with wheels.”
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In line with the Mayo Clinic, CMS is a “group of uncommon hereditary circumstances brought on by a gene change that ends in muscle weak spot, which worsens with bodily exercise. Any muscle tissues used for motion may be affected, together with muscle tissues that management talking, chewing and swallowing, seeing and blinking, respiratory, and strolling.”
There is no such thing as a treatment for the situation, nonetheless, medicines might help with muscle weak spot signs. For these with gentle signs, CMS would not have a serious impact on life expectancy, until it impacts muscle tissues that regulate respiratory.
Together with Gray’s Anatomy, Bailey has starred in exhibits like Trendy Household, Chicago Fireplace, and You.
Gray’s Anatomy returns Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026 at 10 p.m. E.T. on ABC. Episodes can be found to stream the subsequent day on Hulu.
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