(NewsNation) — “Grey’s Anatomy” actor Steven W. Bailey announced he’s been diagnosed with a rare incurable neuromuscular condition.
The 54-year-old, who played the bartender Joe on the long-running medical drama for 30 episodes, opened up on being diagnosed with congenital myasthenia syndrome on Friday in a thread on X.
Bailey said he spent years being quiet and private about his personal life but wanted to share publicly about something that has been “shaping (his) life and work.”
“(It’s) the darndest thing, but it turns out I have a rather rare genetic neuromuscular disorder. Weird, right? It’s called Congenital Myasthenia Syndrome,” Bailey wrote.
UNITED STATES – AUGUST 28: GREY’S ANATOMY – “There’s No ‘I’ in Team” – Bailey heads up a team of surgeons performing a “domino procedure” in which each surgery hinges on the one preceding it; Derek gets sole credit for the brain tumor study he did with Meredith; Lexie goes to great lengths to have George notice her romantically, and Sloan counsels a desperate Callie on the ways of love, on “Grey’s Anatomy,” THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23 (9:00-10:01 p.m., ET) on the Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images Television Network. (Photo by Eric McCandless/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
The actor, who is now wheelchair-bound, said he kept his CMS diagnosis secret “out of career caution, diagnostic uncertainty, and being private about such things.”
What is congenital myasthenia syndrome?
According to the Mayo Clinic, “Congenital myasthenic syndromes are a group of rare hereditary conditions caused by a gene change that results in muscle weakness, which worsens with physical activity.”
CMS is usually discovered when a person is born or in early childhood and lasts their whole life.
There is no cure for CMS, but treatment options are available.
“Any muscles used for movement can be affected, including muscles that control speaking, chewing and swallowing, seeing and blinking, breathing, and walking,” according to Mayo.
Bailey said his hands, arms and legs often “tire” quickly and that “sustained repetitive movements are particularly difficult and can cause my muscles to temporarily tighten and shut down.”