“Walking Dead” star Erik Jensen has cancer more than a year after suffering a brain aneurysm. Now his family has started a fundraising campaign.
Actor, writer and director Erik Jensen was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer. His wife, Jessica Blank, announced the diagnosis to help pay for Jensen’s treatment and other related expenses. The diagnosis comes more than a year after he survived a brain aneurysm. Jensen is known, among other things, for the role of Steven Edwards in the fifth season of “The Walking Dead”.
Family fears losing health insurance
, his family is hoping for $300,000 and remains optimistic that the 53-year-old Jensen will survive the ordeal. However, she also shared the fear that they could lose their SAG-AFTRA health insurance during the ongoing strike.
The family has had health insurance through SAG (and occasionally through WGA) for the past 23 years. Due to the strikes, lack of streaming income, and the fact that Erik may be recovering from major surgery during the earning period in which he qualifies for SAG insurance, there is a serious risk that they will lose insurance.
In addition to covering Jensen’s medical costs, the family hopes to raise enough money to keep their home and provide daughter Sadie with “some stability.”
Dramatic details from the appeal for donations for Erik Jensen
His GoFundMe page reads in part: “As many of you know, Erik is a devoted father to 13-year-old Sadie, who is the light of his life; an incredible husband to Jessica, his art and life partner of 23 years and a deeply hard-working, generous artist who has been committed to creating works for healing, justice, and improving the world for decades.”
It goes on to say that Erik must be able to help his daughter grow up. And: “The cancer has metastasized to his liver, but Erik is young and strong […] and his doctors have the chance to shrink the tumors enough that they can be removed in two very large operations.”
“The Walking Dead”: Team stands up for Jensen
Jensen’s GoFundMe campaign was also shared by members of The Walking Dead team, including lead actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan and producer Scott M. Gimple.
Currently (Thursday morning) the amount collected is 118,130 US dollars (equivalent to 111,624 euros).
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
