Rebecca Gayheart is opening up about what life looks like behind the scenes as her ex-husband Eric Dane navigates his ALS diagnosis. And the picture she paints is raw, exhausting, and heartbreakingly human. The former couple split years ago, and it would have been easy to assume their lives had gone in totally separate directions. But serious illness has a way of stripping everything down to what actually matters. In a deeply personal essay for The Cut this week, Rebecca revealed she has taken the reins of Eric's medical care, making sure he has the support he needs as his condition progresses. That includes something that is anything but simple: securing round-the-clock nursing care. Related: Eric Dane Says There's 'No Reason To Be In A Good Spirit' During ALS Battle, BUT... Eric publicly shared his ALS diagnosis earlier this year. And while many people recognize the name of the disease, fewer grasp the relentless nature of it. ALS slowly robs the body of its ability to move and function, while the mind often remains painfully aware of what's happening. There is no cure - only treatments that may slow the degradation. It's a diagnosis that doesn't just affect the person who receives it, either, but also impacts everyone orbiting their life. Rebecca explained that even figuring out how to get help felt like entering a battlefield. Dealing with insurance companies became its own full-time job, layered on top of parenting two teenagers and emotionally supporting someone with whom she once built a life. She wrote: "Just figuring out the health-care system is its own thing - the health-insurance company will deny you what you're asking for and you have to appeal and then you have to apply again." And the process was infuriating. When she tried to secure home nursing care, Gayheart said the resistance she met was blunt and unapologetic: "The woman from his insurance said to me, 'You can keep applying, and I'll keep denying,' I was like, 'Oh? F that.' I made it my mission. I was 'locked in,' as the kids would say. I crashed out, and then I locked it in." After multiple appeals, she finally got approval. But even with coverage, the reality is messy. Eric's care involves "24/7 nurses," and is broken into shifts, according to Gayheart. Sometimes, there are gaps insurance doesn't cover. Those gaps often land squarely on Rebecca's shoulders: "There are times that shifts aren't covered, so I cover them. There was a 12-hour shift recently that I could not cover. I could only do four hours because of all the stuff that the kids are doing." In moments like that, she had to ask for help - even when it felt uncomfortable. She wrote: "I had to call on two of Eric's friends, one of them who had never really taken care of him in that way. I thought, 'I can't believe I had to ask someone to do this.' And of course when I asked for help, they said, 'Yeah, anything, what do you need? What's going on?' And they both showed up and did a wonderful job." But not everyone showed up. Gayheart wrote: "There are a lot of people who used to be more present in my life who I think about and wonder, 'Where'd they go?'" Still, Rebecca approaches that loss with compassion rather than bitterness, acknowledging how overwhelming situations like this can be: "I've talked to my therapist about it a lot ... most people are not great in this situation because it's so heavy. It's not easy for people, so I don't hold any grudges toward [anyone] who hasn't shown up." Wow. Talk about a woman fighting impossible systems, managing terrible heartbreak, and showing up day after day because someone she once loved still matters. That is seriously heavy. Read the full essay HERE. [Image via FayesVision/WENN] The post Eric Dane's Ex Rebecca Gayheart Details Fight With Insurance Company, Lost Friends & '24/7 Nurses' Amid His ALS Battle appeared first on Perez Hilton.