Walking Dead actor Erik Jensen diagnosed with stage four cancer
Topics: The Walking Dead, Film and TV, Celebrity
Callum Jones
Featured Image Credit: John Lamparski/Getty Images / AMC/Fox
Topics: The Walking Dead, Film and TV, Celebrity
The Walking Dead actor Erik Jensen has been diagnosed with stage four colon cancer, his wife has confirmed.
Jensen played Dr Steven Edwards in season five of the TV series, while also featuring in the likes of Mr Robot and For Life.
The actor's devastating diagnosis comes just 18 months after he'd survived a brain aneurysm.
Jensen's wife, fellow actor and playwright Jessica Blank, has since started a GoFundMe to help cover the rising costs of healthcare.
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She penned: "The cancer has metastasized to his liver, but Erik is young and strong (cutting a film during chemo, working full-time as a director and writer throughout) and his doctors have a shot at shrinking the tumors enough to do two very major surgeries and get them all out.
"He is incredibly resilient and strong; Erik is a survivor.
"We know he can make it through this, come out the other side, and continue to make great work and support his community for years to come.
"But Erik and his family are in for the fight of their lives, and they need your support."
Blank then went on to discuss the year the family have been through in recent times, adding: "Erik's aneurysm, the double strikes and now this diagnosis have put their family in an extremely precarious financial position and they need a lot of help to make it through the next year, pay for treatment to fight his cancer, keep their home, and maintain some sort of stability for Sadie (his 13-year-old daughter)."
The family is hoping to raise $300,000 to help them through this difficult period in their life, adding that they are at risk of losing their SAG-AFTRA-funded health insurance as a result of the ongoing actors' strike.
"The nonexistence of streaming residuals, and the fact that in a best case scenario, Erik may be recovering from major surgery during the exact earnings period to qualify for SAG insurance for 2025 – the family is facing a serious risk of losing their health insurance for 2025," Blank continued.
Adding: "It goes without saying that continued cancer treatment without insurance would bring financial ruin.
"Stage IV is not a death sentence. Erik is working incredibly hard to stay positive and fight for the shot that his doctors say he has.
"Erik and Jess are devoted to creating community and supporting that community- but this is a time when they need community support."
So far the page has reached $118,201 as of writing.