Steven W. Bailey has opened up about his health diagnosis.
The Grey’s anatomy star shared a lengthy update on X (formerly Twitter) about being diagnosed with a rare neuromuscular condition known as congenital myasthenic syndrome, or CMS.
The actor wrote: “You may know me from Grey’s Anatomy as Joe the Bartender – or from appearances on Modern Family, You, Chicago Fire or some other appearance. I’d like to share something important with you about my life and my career.”
In his ‘open letter’ Steven shared: ‘It turns out that I have a fairly rare genetic neuromuscular disorder. Weird, right? It’s called Congenital Myasthenia Syndrome, or CMS.”
“Not to be confused with the more common autoimmune disease, Myasthenia Gravis, which you’ve probably heard of… your uncle’s friend has it, I think. Out of career caution, diagnostic uncertainty, and being private about such things in general, I’ve been hiding my battle with this disease for over five years. Time to stop,” he wrote.
He added: “CMS is a genetic disease that disrupts communication between the brain and the muscles at the ‘nerve-muscle junction’… or whatever doctors call it. There are billions of these junction dodads in a body, and an increasing number of them seem to be blinking. Tricky, you little suckers, right?”
According to Steven, “the result is that my hands, arms, and legs tire more quickly than they should, making them weaker than, well… expected. Sustained repetitive movements are extremely difficult and can cause my muscles to tighten and shut down temporarily.”
“The truth is that as my disease progresses, I increasingly use an electric wheelchair to get around. Professionally, this is changing me as an actor,” the actor noted.
Steven W. Bailey wrote: “Practically speaking, in the future, it is time for my work, as well as my life, to start using more wheelchairs, if you will. Those days are well and truly over.”
“But now here I am – done hiding – with a clear understanding of my disease, firmly beneath me, ready for the next chapter in my life and career,” he added.
